I Will Always Follow You
by cup-of-sleuth
Summary: Lucy has always been content with just being friends. She knows that's probably the only way Natsu will ever see her. However, after a compromising job, she starts to question whether being friends is enough anymore. Can she ever act the same around him again? Will the clueless dragon slayer finally take a hint? Or will fate intervene and tear them apart forever...
1. Love Letters

**A/N: Oh brother, am I really starting another fic with two unfinished ones? _*sigh*_ Yes it seems that way. However I've already got the details for each chapter planned out (as well as themed music to get me in the mood for each one) and all that's left is fill in the gaps and add description. The whole story will be 11 chapters in total. Also, if you're curious about my other two stories, ****_A Different Love Story_**** and ****_In Your Dreams_****, well they are on pause at the moment. If you want details feel free to PM me, I don't want to make this author's note much longer than it already is. So without further ado, enjoy _I Will Always Follow You_****...**

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_Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail_

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_I - Love Letters_

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A warm breeze blew across the grassy field, moving blades like waves in the ocean. In the center of the bright green sea was something out of place. The grass tickled at a darkly clothed body with muscular limbs. The blade tips touched a red guild mark on the body's right shoulder and got stuck in spiky pink hair. His appendages were sprawled out in all directions and the white scarf trailing out from where it wrapped out his neck. Natsu's chest rose and fell steadily with pleasant sleep. His snores disturbing the calming silence of the empty green field. Or perhaps it was so empty because his roaring snores had scared away all other life within a two mile radius. Well, except for one person, who appeared to be approaching the napping dragon slayer.

The blonde had a soft grin painted across her lips as she stared down at the boy. Chocolate brown eyes scanning over his body. One hand on her hip, not understanding how he could fall asleep so easily in any random place. Then again, this field seemed to make her feel just a little bit drowsy. She could probably just curl up beside him, letting the sun bathe them in it's warmth as she dozed off with him. She shook her head. "Natsu. Wake up."

"Hmrg…" he rolled over, either he was deep under the spell of this grassy field or he was just a lazy bum. She figured it was a little bit of both. "Five more minutes, Luce…"

"Not five more minutes, now." She nudged his side with her foot gently, then a little rougher when he still didn't get up. "Natsu."

He chuckled softly in his half-sleep. "Luce, that tickles…" She grit her teeth, her patience was running thin.

"Get up. Now." She nudged his side a little harder. He laughed again.

"Hehe…!"

"That's it!" She kicked his side hard, sending him rolling a little ways across the field. He yelped, sitting up when he stopped rolling.

"What was that for, Luce! I didn't do nothing wrong!" She glared at him, although it wasn't a _real_ glare. She wasn't that mad at him.

"If you had woken up when I said so then I wouldn't have kicked you. Actually, if you'd been at the guild four hours ago like you were supposed to then I wouldn't have come and woken you up." She crossed her arms, tapping her foot impatiently. "Did you forget about our job?"

"Oh, that was today?" He cocked his head to the side cluelessly. She felt a vein bulge in her forehead. _Patience, Lucy…_

"Yes that was today. We agreed to meet in front of the guild at noon so we could go on this job. I know it's not exactly your cup of tea because it doesn't involve beating up thugs or destroying entire towns, but I need the money to pay my rent and I'm cutting it kind of close this month." It's not like she hadn't been working, but most of the reward money went to repairing the towns they had trashed in the process of their job. She'd barely scraped enough together last month as it was, and that was because she didn't go grocery shopping. Her stomach still hadn't quite forgiven her for it, because she'd refused to take handouts from her guildmates. If making her own meant starving one month in order to pay rent, that's how she was going to do it. No short cuts! Although it didn't always help that Natsu and Happy were constantly raiding her pantry. Funny how they–especially Natsu–seemed to be the root of her financial and living problems.

She truthfully wouldn't have it any other way.

"Oh shit, sorry Lucy, I completely forgot!" He gave an apologetic and goofy grin. The use of her real name and not his nickname for her told her he truly was sorry. He may be a complete dunce but he was an honest dunce. She sighed, her posture loosening up now that she wasn't scolding him.

"It can't be helped. Don't worry about it. It's too late to leave now, unless we want to travel in the dark." She shuddered, that wasn't an ideal plan. "So how about we head out noon tomorrow?"

"Sure thing, Luce! I'll be there this time!" Lucy frowned skeptically.

"You promise?"

"I promise!"

"I'll hold you to that. And if you don't show up I'm leaving without you." that was a lie. While doing jobs alone did mean there was less a chance of leaving destruction and less payment after, it wasn't nearly as fun to go alone. He was a pain to work with but she liked the time she got to spend with him. She'd go anywhere with the rambunctious dragon slayer, following him through rain, snow, burning sun, jungle, you name it. She had a feeling that he wanted to do the same with her, or at least hoped he did. She doubted the thick-skulled Natsu realized how she felt about him, but she knew he did love her. As family that is. Nothing more, nothing less. That was fine. She was fine with that. At least he cared at all.

"You wouldn't! You'd get lost or somethin' without me there!" Actually it was probably the other way around. _He_ would get lost. But she smiled nonetheless, nodding in defeat just to shut him up.

Natsu grinned widely, displaying his sharp canines among the rest of his pearly teeth. She wondered why his teeth always looked so white, certainly he didn't brush his teeth every day? He barely remembered to bathe more than once a month. That was the only saving grace of him barging in and sleeping over at her home. She could make sure he took a bath. Several times he'd taken a bath at her place though it had ended up in… awkward situations. Actually, she wasn't thinking about his teeth anymore. She was thinking about- "Lucy?"

"E-eh!? O-oh, um…" her face was burning red and she waved it off, as if it would erase her thoughts from her mind. "Say we should probably head back to the guild or something!"

Natsu blinked with confusion, but it was only a few seconds before he was grinning eagerly and nodding his head. "Yeah! I could really go for one of Mira's steaks right now!" He jumped to his feet, grabbing a hold of Lucy's petite wrist, proceeding to drag her along to the edge of the field.

"Natsu! I can walk on my own!" She complained, but she didn't try to pull herself from his grasp. He was holding her wrist too tightly, so she was sure if she tried to wiggle her way out it would tear her skin off. His fingers were warm with fire dragon magic and rough. She wished they were between her fingers instead of cutting off the circulation in her hand.

"Come on, Luce! You're too slow!"

"I'm not slow, you're just too fast!"

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Back at the guild, Lucy watched as the dragon slayer who sat across the table from her tore apart a steak with his teeth. Maybe it was just her proper upbringing but she was pretty sure you were supposed to use a fork and knife when eating steak. She sighed, as Natsu swallowed a chunk whole. Or at least it appeared that way, she wasn't sure he was actually using his teeth for chewing. "Honestly…" She sighed.

"Aren'f ya gonna eaf, Rooshe?"

"Don't talk with your mouth full, Natsu, it's gross."

He swallowed loudly, and stared at her. "If you're not gonna eat your steak give it to me!"

"Huh? Oh… right, that's right." She remembered she'd also ordered herself dinner. She stabbed the meat with her utensils and cut off a juicy piece, popping it into her mouth. It practically melted in her mouth, if only she could cook like Mirajane. The former S-class wizard could make anything taste delicious. Natsu exaggerated a pout, he'd really wanted that steak it seemed. Lucy couldn't blame him and that's why she wasn't gonna give it up. "Don't look at me like that, you still have your own dinner to finish."

He grumbled in defeat and chewed absentmindedly on his steak. "Fine…" She giggled.

Glancing around she noticed the guild was rather quiet that evening. It seemed most of the members were out doing jobs, probably scraping together cash to pay rents or pay for groceries, same as her. Mirajane and Kinana stood behind the bar chatting peacefully and straightening up the displays. Happy was trying to woo Carla with a freshly caught fish over in one of the corners, much to the blue Exceed's disappointment she declined just like every time before. Lucy was surprised Lily wasn't with them but then she noticed Gajeel was missing as well. She guessed he was also out on a job. Team Shadow Gear was out and about as well, Levy and her two teammates had left the day before. The Master wasn't anywhere to be seen in the main hall but he was probably somewhere around the guild. Gray and Juvia were missing too. The water mage was probably tailing Gray wherever he was. Erza was sitting at a table enjoying her strawberry cake. The pure enjoyment on her face made the scarlet haired woman just a tad bit less scary. It was strange being in the guild with it this calm. Lucy had grown fond of the noise and the mischief.

"I think I'm gonna head home." She said, pushing her half eaten steak in Natsu's direction and standing. "You can have the rest." He looked overjoyed. He didn't even thank her before he started to chow down on it immediately. She rolled her eyes.

"You're welcome, dummy. I'll see you tomorrow." She waved, making her way towards the exit. She found herself out in the streets of Magnolia. The city was still bustling with life despite the sun beginning to disappear below the horizon. She walked through the small crowds to her apartment. Her heart filled with joy knowing this was her home and always would be her home. There were so many amazing things about this place. She'd already come to know the streets like the back of her hand, remembering where each cobblestone path led. She could probably even find her way home with her eyes closed. It hadn't been a particularly exhausting day, but she couldn't wait to collapse in her bed and sleep. Letting sweet dreams wash over her.

Arriving home several minutes later she unlocked her apartment door, stepping inside. "I'm home!" She announced to no one. Stepping further into the apartment where her bed and other furniture were she noticed something unusual. Or perhaps not that unusual. A giant lump was under her blankets. _No way did he get here before I did!_ She thought. But pulling the covers back the sleeping forms of Natsu and Happy were revealed. She shook her head. "Hopeless. They are hopeless." She decided she could sleep on her floor that night. It wasn't healthy for her to sleep in the same bed with him. Sure he wouldn't see anything wrong with it, but it was the principal of things and Natsu was stupid.

Grabbing the spare bedding she set herself up a temporary sleeping arrangement, then wandered into her bathroom to change into her pajamas and brush her teeth. The snoring coming from her bed was probably loud enough to wake the whole building. She wondered how she hadn't gotten any complaints about it yet. Toothbrush sticking out of her mouth she peaked out into her room, having a perfect view of her bed from there. Natsu's rear stuck straight up into the air and Happy was curled up on top of it. She thought of how unpleasant that was going to be for the poor cat if Natsu passed gas in his sleep. She chuckled to herself, imagining it already.

Spitting into the sink and rinsing out her mouth she sighed, mouth feeling clean and refreshed. She removed her hair from it's pigtails, running her fingers through it to even it out. Not like it was going to make all that much difference in the morning. Her hair was going to stick every which way when she woke up. She had one last thing to do before she went to sleep. Sitting down in her desk chair she pulled her journal from a hidden spot in one of the desk drawers. She opened it to a blank page, grabbing her favorite swan feather pen. Dipping it into the fresh ink then touching the tip to the page she began to write.

_Dear Mom,_

_Just another ordinary day in Magnolia and in Fairy Tail. Natsu and I were supposed to go on a job but the idiot ended up falling asleep in a field instead. The nerve right? I'm sure you would have loved to meet him mom. I always say so. He's got the worst manners, worse than I did! And that's quite the feat since I never could be as ladylike as dad wanted, or as ladylike as you. But what do you expect from someone raised by a dragon._

_What was it like when you fell in love with dad? How did you know you loved him? Did you ever love someone who you knew would probably never have the capacity to love you back? I'm pretty sure I love Natsu. And it's not just a family kind of love like I feel for everyone else in the guild. I never want to hold Gray's hand when we walk side by side. Seeing Gajeel grin doesn't make my heart skip beats. I most definitely don't want to kiss the other guys in the guild. I can tell he doesn't feel the same way though, and he's too dense to see how I feel. It's really a testament to his idiocy when most of the other guild members have already figured it out, despite my constant denial._

_But… I'm okay with the way things are. I would be so happy if he reciprocated my feelings, but I'm happy knowing he's my friend. I don't want to screw that up, you know? Hey, maybe someday I'll fall in love with someone else and they'll love me too and we'll get married and have a couple kids and live happily ever after. Wouldn't that be something? Right, Mom? I'm glad Natsu is my friend, it's better than nothing. Although I suppose I wouldn't have fallen for him if I'd never met him in the first place, or if he wasn't always coming to my rescue and being so nice to me._

_This is good enough, isn't it Mom?_

_Love, Lucy_

Lucy sighed, looking at the clock. It wasn't too late yet fortunately. She closed her journal and stuck it back into it's secret compartment, sliding out of her chair and making her way over to her bedding. She laid down on her back, tugging the blanket over her and shivering a little. It was colder on the floor. Her eyes drifted up to the bed where Natsu and Happy still slept soundly. The bed was so much more comfortable and with Natsu in it it would be ten times warmer than the floor. Would it really hurt if she slept in the same bed as him? It's not like she hadn't woken up with him curled up at her feet before. But she hadn't done that willingly, he'd gotten into the bed with her while she was asleep. He didn't know that wasn't an acceptable thing to do. She did, especially with her feelings. She rolled over onto her side so she couldn't see him, closing her eyes like an invitation for sleep to come and take her away.

"Good night…" She whispered to herself, slowly dozing off.

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At some point in the middle of the night Natsu woke up, snorting loudly as his snoring was interrupted. He blinked and stared through hazy vision at the moonlit room. He'd slept here so many times that it just felt natural to be waking up in Lucy's room. Hang on, where was Lucy?

He sniffed, catching her scent first. Then his ears heard her soft, gentle breathing. Pushing Happy off his stomach he peered over the side of the bed and saw her curled up tightly on a makeshift bed. Even in the dim light he could see she was shivering just a bit. Something clicked and he quietly climbed out of the bed, leaning down and scooping her up in his arms. She immediately pressed herself against his chest in her sleep, soaking in his body heat. Her shivering stopped.

"Natsu…" She murmured. For a second he thought she'd woken up but her eyes didn't open and her sleepy breathing stayed the same. He gently laid her down in her bed next to Happy, pulling the covers over her. She hummed in her sleep. He sprawled himself on top of the blankets, yawning now.

"Good night, Luce." he said, before immediately falling back to sleep.

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**A/N: So? I hope you like it so far. I wasn't too sure about adding that Natsu bit at the end but I was given the go for it by one of my best friends. This chapter was somewhat inspired by Paper Route's song _Love Letters_, hence the chapter's title.**

**I'll hopefully have the next chapter done before next Friday. Hard to say considering I've got a test and a project for my ASL2 class next week _AND_ I have to work on a thing for a science expo. Oh college you give me so much free time. I even took fewer classes this semester but alas it does not help. One saving grace is by the time this is uploaded I've already got 1/3 of the second chapter done and pending review from my best friend.**

**Please leave a review telling me what you think, it's greatly appreciated! Until next time.**


	2. Got Me on My Toes

_Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail_

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_II -_ _Got Me on My Toes_

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As morning light poured in through her windows, the golden rays illuminating the dust particles that floated through the air, Lucy rolled over onto her side so that it wasn't in her eyes. How strange, her makeshift bed seemed a lot softer and warmer than it had last night. The blankets seemed heavy too and there was some soft vibration next to her. She sat up, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. When she opened them to investigate the scene this is what she saw:

Natsu was sprawled out on top of her blanket, mouth wide open and snoring. If she looked closely there seemed to be a trail of drool pouring from the corner of his mouth. Gross. Her attention turned to the vibration and spotted the blue Exceed curled up by her side, he was purring? She smiled at how comfortable he looked. Happy was constantly teasing her but they were still friends, and seeing him grin in his sleep has he cuddled a dream fish warmed her heart. Speaking of warm, her attention turned back to the dragon slayer whose body was weighing down on her legs, acting like a heater to keep everything toasty warm. She wondered if he had put her in her bed while she was asleep. She vaguely remembered being picked up into someone's arms, but she had thought it was only a dream.

_Always looking out for me, huh, Natsu?_ She sighed happily, then pulled her legs out from under his weight, climbing out of bed to go get dressed. Natsu rolled over, grabbing Happy and hugging him like a teddy bear. She giggled softly, walking over to her drawers and sifting through them for a proper outfit. She hoped that him being here now meant they could leave early for their job.

She glanced at the flier on the table. _160,000 jewels!_ It read in large, fancy print. It was perfect. She could split it with Natsu and still have just enough left for her rent. While the job description didn't actually explain much about the job itself, as far as she understood they were going to model some outfits for a clothing designer. It seemed the designer hoped that if popular guild wizards wore their clothes more people would buy them. She wasn't sure what kind of clothes she'd be wearing but for 160,000 jewels, it didn't really matter now did it? This was probably the kind of job that was better suited for Mirajane or even Erza, who's requip magic made outfit changes her specialty. But Lucy had her charms too! It's just Natsu she was worried about. What if he accidentally burned the outfits? She shook her head. Have faith, Lucy!

She picked an outfit from her drawers and slipped into the bathroom to change. She didn't grab anything too flashy considering she'd be changing out of it later anyways, just a simple light green t-shirt and a pair of white shorts. She'd probably look way better in what they put on her anyways. She wondered if she'd get to keep it as part of the reward. Maybe if she did a good job.

While she was changing she heard something thud on the floor and Natsu groan. Judging by the noises she assumed he'd fallen out of bed. Well at least he was awake now. Maybe. She tied her hair back into a pony tail, exiting the bathroom to see if the dragon slayer had recovered from his fall. He obviously wasn't in any kind of pain, considering he was sleeping quietly on her bedding from the night before. She looked at the clock, 8 AM. That meant they had 4 hours until their agreed upon meeting time. Although, perhaps she could persuade him to leave a little earlier, considering he was already here in her home. She gently prodded his side with her toe. He snorted but didn't wake up. She sighed, deciding to go make herself breakfast.

Two empty boxes of cereal and a milk scare later, Lucy was sitting at her table with a bowl of sugary corn flakes. She wondered if she was gonna have to forgo groceries again this month, since the reward for this job was just enough for her rent once split half and half. She wished Natsu and Happy would stop eating all her food. And speak of the devils, they were both finally starting to wake up. Happy rubbing his eyes with his paws. "Lucy you chew too loud…"

"I do not!" She took a deep breath, it was too early to get worked up. "I hope you two can eat corn flakes cause that's all there is."

"What? Why?" Natsu had just woken up, but the idea that there wasn't anything else to eat had him wide awake. "Didn't you just buy more food?"

"I did… and then you ate it all as soon as I brought it home."

"Oh, heheh..!" He scratched the back of his head, grinning dumbly.

She sighed, "I was wondering if you wouldn't mind heading out early for our job. Maybe after we've both finished breakfast? It seems kind of pointless to meet up in front of the guild at noon when we're already together."

"Then why'd you suggest it?"

"Because I didn't assume you'd sleep in my bed, Natsu." Now she could at least make sure he didn't wander off and forget again.

"Sure, might as well get it over with." He shrugged, standing up. "I hope those corn flakes taste good!"

"They taste like sweetened cardboard."

* * *

"I-is it over yet..?" Natsu groaned, with Happy and Lucy working together to get him off of the train before it left again.

"You and your motion sickness is ridiculous! If it weren't for your magic you'd be useless." Lucy complained, letting go of his limp body on the platform.

"Actually, his magic is probably what causes his motion sickness." Happy chimed in. She nodded, that was probably it. Considering it was a common trait in dragon slayers.

Natsu slowly stood up, starting to recover from the train ride. "W-well walking gives you more exercise anyways!"

"If we had walked here all the way from Magnolia it would have taken too long! Besides, by taking the train we can come here and get home all in the same day. No need to spend extra money on an inn." Lucy explained, the dragon slayer huffed in defeat. "The flier said that the studio is four blocks from the train station so come on."

"Lead the way, Lucy!" Happy flew and landed on Natsu's shoulder.

"Hey, you can fly why are you riding me!?"

"Uh oh… I feel a little sleepy!" Happy joked, earning a small groan from Natsu, but he carried the blue Exceed anyways.

Lucy smiled at them over her shoulder. Natsu was gonna make a great parent someday, if his relationship with other people's children and Happy said anything. She started to wonder what it would be like if they had a kid together—

No! Bad, Lucy! She smacked her cheeks lightly, but the two boys were too busy talking about food or something else silly to notice. As much as she liked Natsu she had to remind herself that any future she had with him probably involved a never-ending friendship that lasted til they were dead. That wasn't a bad thing though. He'd probably end up being like an uncle to her future children. That was something she decided was okay to imagine.

"Here we are." She glanced up from the flier and pointed at a dark red brick building. It looked the same as all the other buildings in the area really, except that there was a sign hanging above the door that said, 'Lucky Stars Studios'. She thought it was kind of funny that she had something in common with the name of a business. Then again…she had been named after a business. She opened the door and walked inside first, followed by her teammates. There was a woman sitting at a small reception desk, she reminded her a little bit of Edolas Wendy. Except her hair wasn't the right shade of blue.

"Can I help you?" The woman asked, looking up at them.

"Hi! We're here about the model request, the three of us are all from Fairy Tail." She handed the flier to the woman with her right hand so that she could see Lucy's pink guild mark, just in case she didn't believe them. The woman glanced over the paper and then smiled up at Lucy.

"Fantastic. Leidi will be thrilled. My name's Mina, I'll show you to your dressing rooms." Getting up from her chair, Mina walked around her desk and beckoned for the three to follow her down the hall. "Are you going to be including the cat in the photo shoot?"

"Aye!" Happy chimed in. Mina looked a little surprised for a moment, she must never have met or heard of an Exceed before. Not surprising. Currently all but six Exceeds lived in a woodland settlement. Happy, Carla, Lily, Frosh, Lector, and Nichiya were the six, all of them guild members. The Edolas Wendy lookalike didn't take too long to recover from her slight shock.

"I see, well perhaps we should prepare him his own room." She stopped in a hallway full of doors. Pointing to the closest door on her right she looked at Natsu, "This will be your dressing room, sir. Everything you'll be wearing is already in there, the stylists will be here shortly to assist you. And as for you miss," She pointed to the door across from Natsu's dressing room, "This is your dressing room. I'll go let Leidi know you're here. Please, make yourselves comfortable!"

Mina walked off back down the hall. Natsu opened the door to his room cautiously. "Do I really have to do this?"

"Yes. Look the stylists are coming down the hall. Be nice to them okay? And don't catch anything on fire!"

"Fine, fine." He rolled his eyes, closing the door behind him. Lucy walked into her own dressing room, looking around at clothes and fabrics hanging here and there. There was a sewing kit sitting on a small desk and a vanity in the corner, various makeups piled high on top of it. In the middle of the room was a clothing rack, something hung on that was hidden by a large black bag. That must be her outfit for the photo shoot. The stylists would be there soon so it wouldn't hurt to go ahead and see what she'd be wearing. She walked over and started to open the bag.

Seconds later, a shout was heard coming from Lucy's dressing room.

"I-I have to wear that!?"

* * *

Natsu tapped his food impatiently, he was uncomfortable in the dress clothes he now wore. At least they'd agreed to let him keep his scarf on, then again he did threaten to burn them all to a crisp. But Lucy was taking forever. "You look really handsome, Natsu!" Happy said as he walked out of his own dressing room. They'd even provided the blue Exceed with a cute little black vest. No doubt sewn on the spot considering it took Happy longer to get dressed than it did Natsu.

"Thanks." He mumbled, The black dress shirt was uncomfortable, but the cotton breathed well allowing his extra high body heat to vent out normally. The same could be said for the matching black dress pants. He did have to say he liked the vest they'd given him. It was a dark red and they'd left the front unbuttoned to give him a rougher look. They'd tried to put a tie on him, but after they agreed to leave on the scarf they decided he didn't need one. The shoes were probably the most uncomfortable. He was used to wearing his sandals everywhere and the black and white saddle shoes he now wore were too tight on his feet, didn't breathe at all, and made a soft tapping noise as he bounced his foot. What was taking the blonde so long? He groaned, crossing his arms.

Finally, Lucy's dressing room door opened, and a shy familiar voice was the first thing to come out. "S-Sorry I took so long… I um… got a bit nervous for the photo shoot." Natsu was about to say something, but his voice was lost when he watched her step out from behind the door, 3 inch black heals first. His eyes glided up her pale slender legs, up and up. He knew she usually wore short skirts, but he didn't remember seeing this much skin when she was clothed. Finally his eyes found the fabric of her red dress at the very upper part of her upper thighs, it was skin tight and hugged her hips. There were two red strings tied in bows on either side, although it seemed to be purely decoration. His eyes continued to wander up the red dress, it fit her like a glove, accentuating her curves in all the right places. The collar he noticed—if that's even what you could call it—was V shaped and dipped low, stopping only two inches above her belly button probably. His eyes followed the V, this dress certainly wasn't made for someone with breasts as big as hers, or maybe it was and it was meant to be a really revealing dress. Actually, that was definitely what it was. The straps came up and looped around her neck, which they hadn't bothered to even put a necklace on. In fact the only jewelry she wore were a pair of glittery earrings. Most of her skin was exposed, and he had a sneaking suspicion the back was even more open than the front. She wore minimal makeup too, most of it was just her natural beauty. Her hair had been left untouched aside from obviously being brushed through to get rid of tangles, but it flowed down to her shoulders like a golden waterfall. And her usual summery scent seemed even more powerful than usual.

Natsu coughed, shifting in place.

Her face was nearly as red as her dress, but she appeared to be pretending all was fine. "We should head to the photo shoot area— er… I mean set. They'll want to start as soon as possible."

"You look nice, Lucy!" Happy said, Natsu noticed a slight suggestive tone in the cat's voice.

"Th-thank you, Happy! You look very handsome yourself." She cleared her throat, turning to walk down the hall. "I think this is the way to go!"

He was right about the back of the dress.

Happy's wings appeared and he flew after the flustered blonde. Natsu followed slowly behind, nearly tripping over a box. He was definitely not watching where he was going.

* * *

This was horrible! She felt like every male creature in the building was ogling her. She suddenly regretted this job. But... 160,000 jewels! She clenched her fists and took a deep breath. "Let's do this!"

She walked up to the set, the two boys following her. It looked like a blank canvas surrounded by cameras and lacrima powered lights, but with a little magic the canvas would change to fit the scene. There were various people running around, one of them happened to be the designer. She figured it would have been a man considering the revealing quality of her dress but it was actually a beautiful young woman with wavy, blonde hair that came all the way down her back. Ocean blue eyes sparkled when she saw the three approaching the set. "Ah! You must be the Fairy Tail wizards! I'm Leidi. Please, please, make yourselves comfortable, I want this photo shoot to look as real as possible."

"I hope you don't mind my asking, but since the job request didn't exactly say, what kind of clothing line is this exactly..?"

"It's my lovers collection!" The girl's voice was almost childlike, but she was obviously in her 20's at least, although she did have the chest of a 12 year-old girl.

"L-lovers collection!?" Lucy gulped, glancing over at Natsu who appeared to have wandered over to the employee snack table with Happy. "And... what sort of poses do you want us to do..?"

"Like I said I want it to be natural, but I was hoping for a couple to do up-close-and-personal shots! Something steamy maybe? Romantic! Oh, but you shouldn't have a hard time posing for that with your boyfriend, right?"

Her heart raced inside her chest. _He's not my boyfriend_… she thought, then repeated it out loud. "He's not my boyfriend."

"Oh…" The designer almost looked disappointed. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure. But we can still do this job, so don't worry!" Lucy vaguely remembered it saying somewhere on the flier that they were looking for a man and woman pair. She didn't realize this was why. She'd been paying too much attention to the reward.

"If you insist. It's not like I have the time to find someone else. Strange though, I really did get a couple vibe from you two." Leidi insisted.

Lucy waved her hands, "I-I'm pretty sure I know who I am and am not dating. And Natsu is an am not."

Leidi shrugged. "Alright. Well, please take your places we're going to begin shortly!"

Natsu and Happy had been shoo'd away from the snack table and approached the set looking glum as can be. "Hungry you two?"

"I know that Natsu is hungry for— fmph!" Natsu had covered Happy's mouth suddenly.

"Starving."

She raised a brow at them. "Well we're gonna start soon so behave yourselves."

"Sure thing, Luce!" She received a thumbs up from the dragon slayer.

Moments later the spotlight was literally on them. The lacrima inside the lights made them probably 10x brighter. It took Lucy's eyes a moment to adjust.

"Feel free to start posing whenever you're ready!" Leidi said from behind the cameras.

"Okay. Um…" Oh god how were they going to pose? Leidi had told her she wanted steamy and romantic. She wasn't sure she could pull that off. She awkwardly started posing with Natsu, dully leaning against his arm. She could hear Leidi groan in disappointment. Okay, okay, something else. If she wasn't wearing this damn dress she'd get Natsu to put her on his shoulders, that could be romantic right? Oh wait! She could hold his hands!

Another groan of disappointment was heard as she took both of Natsu's hands in hers. Surely this was better than that first awful pose. But something felt off. Maybe they weren't putting enough emotion into it? Maybe it was too cutesy for what Leidi wanted.

Suddenly he turned her around so that her back was too him. It happened too fast for her to react. His hands grabbed at her hips and pulled her back against him. He leaned in and whispered in her ear from behind. "I'm not expert, but I think this is what she's looking for."

"Perfect! Just like that! Keep it up!" Leidi shouted from the side lines confirming what he'd said, but Lucy couldn't hear her. She was too taken aback by how Natsu was touching her. Her heart practically stopped beating.

"Now something else! Remember you're madly in love!" The sound of pictures snapping was just noise in the background as Natsu shifted her again, grinning at her playfully. It would have been perfectly fine if he wasn't CENTIMETERS FROM HER FACE! If she wasn't freaking out she could have easily closed the distance between their lips. But she was freaking out and his hand was on her butt. In any other circumstance she'd shove him off of her and scream that he was a pervert, but they were doing this for a job. And it seemed Natsu was better at it than she was.

Maybe it was because he didn't care.

That's right, she needed to be serious about this if she wanted that reward. No time to get caught up by her affections. If anything it was her chance to secretly be open about them. She grinned back up at him, reaching up a hand to touch his cheek. "That's right!" the designer shouted again. Natsu seemed a little surprised by her hand on the side of his face, and even more so when she slid her fingers into his hair, pulling him down to the point they could feel each other's breath. She thought she saw him blush but realized it was her imagination. Maybe.

Then they changed their pose again, this time he scooped her up in his arms, carrying her bridal style. She linked her arms around his neck and their foreheads touched. Comments were still being shouted at them, but she was getting too absorbed in her "acting" to hear them. Again and again, they posed in various ways, some making her nearly lose her composure. At some point they'd ended up on the floor. She straddled him a few times, they cuddled with her head on his chest. By the time they got around to their final pose she was exhausted and flustered beyond belief. It seemed fitting that she was laying on her back on the floor, Natsu's hands on either side of her head supporting him as he leaned over her. One of his knees was between her legs and she'd kicked off her heels. She stared up at his serious face, when had he started looking like that? He'd been having fun up until some point but now he almost seemed…tense? She reached her hands up, grabbing his scarf, slowly tugging his head down, closer… closer… She closed her eyes, she could almost feel his lips—

"That should be good right?" He'd jerked back so suddenly his scarf practically burned her hands as it slid out. Her eyes opened with surprise as he started to stand. She expected him to be blushing, obviously he'd pulled away because he was embarrassed right? But he had a straight face, not a trace of red to be found on his face. Of course not. Why would there be? "Lucy, come on, they're getting the reward you can stand up now." How was he being so casual about it? She'd nearly kissed him. He was acting like she hadn't just tried to kiss him. There should be some sort of awkward feeling between them right now. But she felt nothing. Just disappointment.

"You go take care of that… I'm kind of tired so I'm gonna lay here a bit. Remember the reward is split half and half…" He just shrugged and wandered off. Part of her wanted to cry. Part of her wanted to scream. Part of her had no regrets. Part of her was still confused. Happy floated over to her side, chuckling.

"You liii-"

"Shut up, Happy."

They'd gotten their own clothes back and sent home that same day, reward safely secured in their pockets. Natsu was still acting like the photo shoot hadn't actually happened. Maybe if she hadn't let herself get so carried away she could do the same. Something was bothering her though more than simply him not reacting. If he really didn't care about the whole thing, why had he pulled away from her so suddenly when they'd been about to kiss? Why had she even tried to kiss him in the first place! She put her hands over her face, groaning. This was awful. She should have turned around and gone back to Fairy Tail the moment she heard lovers collection. That was her death sentence. All those poses—romantic, cute, and the hot—poses made her realize what she could possibly have with him. She wanted to be swept off her feet by him, she wanted to lay on his chest and fall asleep from his warmth. She wanted all of those things they just did and she couldn't have it because she was _content_ with just being friends. She was sick of being just content.

And while she sat there on the train home, realizing she really did want more, she also realized that with his reaction he was either still clueless or didn't want that.

* * *

**A/N: Things are getting interesting, aren't they? Well you'll have to wait a week at least to find out what happens next.** **I was laughing evilly the whole time I wrote this and sending my best friend bits and pieces just to torture her until it was done. She said I'm on the list of "People she loves but if she turns up dead suspect them first."** **What did you think of that dress description? I might actually draw the scene where Natsu first sees her all dressed up. The song I listened to for this chapter is "Toes" by Lights. Please leave a review telling me what you think! **


	3. I Thought You Wanted Me

_Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail_

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_III - I Thought You Wanted Me_

* * *

"Are you feeling alright, Lu?" Lucy was snapped out of her daze when she felt her best friend begin to prod her side.

"Yeah I'm fine, Levy. I was just thinking is all." She lied. She hadn't slept a wink last night. Fortunately it was one of the nights Natsu decided he wasn't going to break into her house and make himself at home. She's not sure she would have been able to handle that.

"You've had that look on your face since you got here this morning. You must be thinking about something complex."

"You have no idea." She sighed, then looked to the light blue haired girl. "Levy, can I ask you a question?"

She nodded, "Of course, Lu! You can ask me anything."

"How do you deal with your feelings for Gajeel?"

The small bookworm's face heated up. "F-feelings for Gajeel? I-I don't-"

Lucy chuckled, "Oh come on Levy, I'm your best friend. Plus it's pretty obvious."

Levy squirmed awkwardly in her seat beside the blonde. "I-is it really?"

"You'd have to be a dragon slayer not to notice." The both of them burst out laughing at the trueness of that statement. Even Wendy could be a little clueless sometimes. Although the boys always seemed to be more so. Finally their laughter subsided.

"Is this about Natsu?" Levy questioned, this time it was Lucy's turn to blush. They really were best friends. She nodded slowly, looking down. "Does it have to do with those pictures Happy was passing out earlier?"

"WHAT!?" Lucy shot up from her seat looking around frantically for the blue Exceed. She spotted him with Carla, he had a stack of pictures and was showing off one to Carla.

"Look!" He said, "Carla I'm a model! A good one too, that's what the photographer told me! See, in this one I'm- wah!" He'd been snatched up by the tail, held upside down In front of an angry blonde. "Lucy! Put me down!" He wiggled back and forth.

"May I see those pictures." It wasn't a request.

Happy sniffled, "Lucy is scary…" He whined, but he handed her the stack of photos without protest.

She flipped through the pictures quickly. Most of them were of Happy doing cute poses in his black vest, he was flying in a few and doing some tricks in the air. She stopped when she saw one with Happy, Natsu, and herself. It was when he'd swept her off her feet. Happy was sitting on top of Natsu's head, and despite Natsu and her's closeness–what with their foreheads touching and everything–it wasn't as bad as some of the pictures she'd taken with the pink haired dragon slayer. In fact Happy's presence seemed to lessen the intimacy of the picture. She hadn't even realized he'd been in any of the pictures with them, she'd been to focused on Natsu and herself. But sure enough, all the following pictures were of the three of them, and all of them were cute photos. She paused at one where she and Natsu were back to back holding hands, and Happy was poking his head out from behind Natsu's legs. All of them were acceptable to her. She handed them back to Happy. "I'm sorry about that, Happy."

"Is everything alright, Lucy?" Carla questioned.

"Fine! Fine! I just wanted to make sure I didn't look weird in any of the pictures." She lied, "I really am sorry, Happy." She started to walk away when the blue Exceed spoke up.

"Oh! Lucy, wait I have something for you!" He pulled another stack of pictures from his green sack. "These are for you and Natsu."

She didn't even have to look at the pictures to know. Oh god. Her face paled slightly. Those are the ones… She took the stack from Happy. "Th-thank you, Happy." She paused, looking down at the stack, the first picture was of the first pose she and Natsu had done, she blushed a bit. "You… you didn't look at these did you?"

"I didn't need to." He smirked, holding his paws up to his mouth trying to hide his grin. "I was there."

Sometimes she swore that blue cat was evil.

She held onto the pictures tightly, making sure the images were facing her chest as she walked back to her table with Levy. The blue haired girl looked up at her with concern. "So? You look a little pale, Lu. What happened?"

Lucy trusted Levy, so she held out the stack. "This happened…"

The bookworm took the pictures from her best friend, flipping through them slowly. The more pictures she looked her cheeks grew progressively redder. "Y-you… You did all this with Natsu?"

Lucy nodded meekly.

"Hey, what are you two doing?" Crap! Natsu! Lucy looked up to see the dragon slayer leaning over the bench behind them. "Huh? Are those the pictures from our job?"

"Yes they are! Lucy was just showing them to me. You two look great." Levy what are you doing?! Lucy felt a little betrayed as Levy handed the pictures to Natsu, "Here, see for yourself."

"Levy!" Lucy whined. She looked at Natsu, assuming he'd be just as flustered as she was right now, but he had a straight face. Just like when they'd finished the photo shoot.

"Hm, yeah not bad at all. Oh, I remember that pose! It was pretty fun!"

"Huh?" Lucy blinked, she wanted to see which one he was talking about but he was holding the pictures out of her sight. Was he trying to hide something from her? And shouldn't he at least be blushing? How clueless was he that he could do all that without a care. She watched as he shuffled through a few more pictures before handing them back to Levy.

"I guess the job wasn't so bad, the clothes were kinda hard to move around in though. Don't you, think, Luce?"

"Y-yeah…" She felt her embarrassment ebb away only to be replaced with disappointment. Why was it always disappointment? "There wasn't much I could do in that dress."

"I bet." She didn't expect to say she had looked good in it, he hadn't said it when she was wearing the dress, he'd just looked kind of shocked. Still, she wished he would, then she'd feel a little better about all this. "I'm hungry, think I'm gonna go see what Mira's cooking up today!"

Levy looked over to her best friend, frowning. It was obvious by the look on her face she felt a little bad about showing Natsu the pictures. "Is that why you've been so glum?" Lucy didn't say anything. "I-I wouldn't think anything about it! He's always been really clueless right? It's like you said, you'd have to be a dragon slayer not to notice."

"Y-yeah… you're right." Lucy smiled at her friend's attempt to cheer her up. "I think I'm gonna go look at the request board. Maybe I just need to go on a job to get my mind off things." She started to stand from her seat.

"I'll go with you!" Levy stood up abruptly, startling Lucy a bit. "I'm sure Jet and Droy wouldn't mind if I went on a job with you. Plus it'd give us more time to hang out together!"

Lucy's smile brightened. "Alright, sounds fun. We can each take some time away from our respective teams."

Levy went and stood by her, linking their arms and winking, "It'll be like a girl's date!" Lucy laughed, winking back.

"Mhm! A girl's date! C'mon, let's go pick out something." They walked arm and arm to the request board. They separated so that they could each look at different requests.

Levy put her finger on one of the flyers. "This one here is for an escort. The reward 30,000 jewels."

"How about helping a town get rid of an infestation. It doesn't say exactly what's infesting but the reward is 65,000." Lucy suggested.

"Hm… Oh! It's only 20,000 jewels, but his one is for an artist who's looking for mod-"

"I think I'm done with modeling jobs for now." The blonde sighed.

Her best friend giggled, "Right, let's see… Here's one for catching a cat burglar. The reward is set at 100,000 jewels." Levy tore the flyer off the board. "Apparently he's been tormenting a specific town for a month or two now."

"That sounds good. When should we head out?" Lucy heard some commotion and turned to see Natsu getting into another fight with Gray. Her heart ached a little at the thought that maybe he wasn't just clueless, maybe there really was no way he'd ever show interest in her. What was she gonna do, live with her feelings for him for the rest of her life in secret? What if she did tell him. Would he misinterpret it as family love and laugh it off or would he flat out turn him down? No matter what way she looked at it she couldn't see her feelings be requited.

Levy had noticed her friend's stare and spoke up. "We'll leave now!"

Lucy snapped out of her trance, "Now!?"

"Yeah! We'll stop by each other's places to pack and then we'll head out on the first train we can catch!" The blue haired girl took the other's hands in her own. "What do you say, Lu?"

The blonde smiled, "Alright."

Levy grinned and then dragged her over to the bar. "We're taking this one, Mirajane!"

"Oh? The two of you are going together?" The woman looked a little surprised at first, her eyes obviously glancing over to the girl's respective partners before smiling. "Well, have fun then!"

"We will, c'mon, Lu!" The two of them made the quick exit, before either of their teams noticed they were gone.

Jet and Droy realized Levy's absence first. Shocked to find out where she'd gone when they asked Mirajane. "What! She left with Lucy to go on a job?" They seemed a little upset, but sighed, relieved it was Lucy and not someone else their teammate had gone with. They both glanced at Gajeel.

"What's going on?" Erza had come over to find out what all the yelling was about.

"Levy and Lucy left to go on a job together. They should be back in a few days though, they're both strong girls." Mira remarked.

"Mhm, that they are." Erza nodded.

"I just wonder…" Mira looked in Natsu's direction. He was still busy arguing with Gray over something trivial, probably about Gray's stripping problem. "Nevermind."

"No, what is it?" The scarlet haired woman was curious now.

"I wonder when Lucy plans on going on another job with Natsu."

Erza looked over to the pink haired idiot too, glaring a bit. "Oi, you two, stop your squabbling before I come over there and break you up myself."

Gray had grabbed Natsu by the collar and Natsu had a fist poised in the air aiming towards Gray's face, but they both stopped when they heard Erza's voice. "W-we weren't doing anything!" Natsu said, his fist still in the air.

Gray let go of Natsu, "Nothing at all."

"I know, I'll go ask Luce about what she thinks of your problem!" Natsu seemed to have already forgotten Erza's warning, although for now he was thinking of less violent measures.

Mira shook her head. "You'll have to try and catch her before she leaves Magnolia then. She may already be on the train actually, it depends on the times."

The fire dragon slayer looked confused, "What are ya talking about, Mira? Lucy was just here a second ago!"

"She left on a job with Levy." Erza said.

"What, why? She didn't invite me?"

"If it makes you feel better we weren't invited either." Jet said.

"I'm gonna go catch up with her! Happy, c'mon!" Natsu started towards the exit.

"E-eh? Aye!" Happy seemed a little reluctant to leave Carla, although it wasn't like she'd been paying a whole lot of attention to him in the first place. He flew over to Natsu, landing on his shoulder.

He wouldn't make it in time though. By the time he'd left the guild the two girls had already arrived at the train station. Their train would be there in a few minutes, and once they were on board and leaving Natsu would just barely be around the corner. Lucy wouldn't even know he'd come after her.

"You excited, Lu?" Levy beamed at her temporary teammate. "We've never been on a job, just the two of us."

"Mhm! It's gonna be great!" Lucy nodded, thankful for this distraction. Maybe this was all she needed, time away from Natsu. If all she did was spend time with him of course she'd get mixed up feelings for him. It was possible she didn't really love him like she thought she did, she could just feel that way because she spent almost every waking moment near him. Whether it was in the guild hall, on a job, or even when he broke into her house. She just needed a break from him is all. Yeah. That sounded about right. Plus it was a chance to not lose her reward to his destructive tendencies. "Really great."

* * *

**A/N: Man, I had a little trouble writing this chapter, but that was mostly because I was busy this past week, but I managed to get it over 2,000 words. The next chapter is going to be just from Natsu's POV. It's funny how even in third-person you can have a point of view. Also, I've been working on writing a Gajevy one-shot, if you're also interested in that pairing.** **Please leave a review telling me what you think of the story so far!**


	4. Never Heard a Sound

_Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail_

* * *

_IV - Never Heard a Sound_

* * *

"Lucy!" Natsu stumbled up to the train platform just in time to see the caboose pull out of the station. He hunched over, panting from his run across town. He'd wasted time by stopping at her apartment first, if only he hadn't he'd have been here in time. Then he got an idea. "Quick! Happy! Fly me to the train!"

"What? Natsu what about your motion sickness? Wendy isn't here to perform troia on you."

"Tch, who cares! I'll be fine!" Yeah with a little willpower her could do it. Then again he told himself that a million times and everytime it failed. He was starting to feel nauseous just thinking about it. He remembered the train rides to and from his last job with Lucy. That had been enough to last him the rest of his life in his opinion. "Ugh… Fine, I guess she's with Levy so she'll be fine." He crossed his arms, his face scrunching up a bit.

"Are you worried about Lucy?" Happy asked him.

"What? Why would I be worried? Lucy can take care of herself." Still, the dragon slayer's sour expression didn't falter.

Happy chuckled, "Are you jealoooous?"

"No."

"You are!"

"Am not."

"Are too!"

"Am not."

"Are too!"

"Am not!" Natsu pushed the Exceed off his shoulder. Happy caught himself with his wings, flying close to the other.

"Are toooooo!"

"Shaddup!" He glared and started to angrily stomp his way off the platform, Happy snickering behind him. _It's just a one time thing, they are best friends after all. She'll be back soon. Besides you just went on a job with her._ His mind traced back to the modeling job, what on Earthland had come over him during that thing? Not that he hadn't enjoyed it, normally Lucy punched him when he tried that sort of thing. Maybe she was just mad she hadn't been able to punch him because it was a job? Natsu nodded to himself. Yeah that seemed about right.

He thought about seeing the pictures earlier when Levy had handed them to him, how he'd kept his cool he didn't know. Some of those pictures looked like something out of a dirty magazine. They had just been wearing more clothes. Well, Natsu had, Lucy was just slightly more covered. Holy hell that dress she'd worn. He could still see it behind his eyelids. Not that he hadn't seen Lucy naked before, totally on accident. But something about that dress made her wearing clothes seem worse than her not wearing anything at all.

"Natsu, where are you going? The guild is that way." Happy had flown in front of him now, startling the dragon slayer away from his wandering imagination. The Exceed was right, Natsu had started towards the outskirts of the city. The guild was behind him.

"Oh yeah! Ha ha! Totally wasn't paying attention!" He laughed it off. Technically it was the truth. He just hadn't said why he wasn't paying attention. The smirk on Happy's face told him he didn't have to. "C'mon I never got to finish telling Gray what a pervert he is."

* * *

"Is Lucy back yet?"

"Hm? You didn't know? She came back yesterday."

Natsu's face lit up in a grin. It had been four days since Levy and Lucy had left on their job together. Supposedly they were just catching a cat burglar but from the looks of it they took longer than what everyone had anticipated. Jet and Droy had told Natsu everything was fine, they'd contacted Levy via lacrima. They might have been just a bit more anxious than he had. Still, he was excited to see his partner again.

"She came back last night to be specific. After you and Happy had already gone home." Mira added, wiping down the bar with a wet cloth.

"Is she still at home resting then?" Happy sat on the barstool next to Natsu, nibbling on a fresh fish. "I don't see her anywhere in the guild."

"Actually…" Mirajane seemed to get a little nervous for some reason, but she was interrupted before Natsu could find out why.

"Has anyone seen Gray? Juvia can't seem to find him anywhere…" Juvia walked up to the bar, she was twiddling her fingers in front of her face. "Juvia wanted to give him something."

"Well… you see," Mira smiled awkwardly. "Lucy and Gray left for a job together this morning."

"WHAT!?" Natsu and Juvia cried out in unison.

The water mage's face had gone dark and she clenched her fists. "Love rival…"

"What the hell is Lucy doing going on a job with Gray!? I bet she's already on her way back right now realizing how awful he is."

"Actually they both seemed rather excited to go on this job together. They said they both needed some time away from specific people." Mira said, not really helping.

"Gray…" Juvia sobbed. "Why would you go with her and not Juvia?"

"Tch…" Natsu crossed his arms and glancing around with a sour look. Sure enough he didn't see Gray or Lucy anywhere, but Levy sat at a table with Jet and Droy, confirming that Lucy had indeed returned. Why had she left with Gray? And so soon after coming back from her job with Levy.

"Um… I'm sorry I couldn't help but overhear that Lucy and Gray left." Wendy walked up to the bar. "When will they be back?"

Mira put a finger to her lips as she thought. "Well, they picked a job that's pretty far away, so maybe a six or seven days?"

Juvia's sobs got louder, some of the wizards grimaced and sent the heartbroken women slight glares. "A week! A whole week with her and not Juvia!"

"It's strange that she'd leave so soon though when she just got back." Wendy said, voicing Natsu's earlier thoughts.

Mira sighed, "I thought so too, but she said she would be fine."

The dragon slayer ground his teeth together. He couldn't think of a good reason for why her leaving with Gray bothered him so much. Not saying he couldn't think of any reasons at all but none of them were good, well, at least he was sure that's what other people would say. _She's my partner. Gray should have taken Juvia, they're all lovey dovey anyways. She's gonna be stuck with that pervert for a week. What if he does something weird to her?_ Wendy tapped him on the shoulder.

"Natsu… you look really scary. Is something wrong?"

"I'm fine. C'mon Happy we're gonna go on a job!" The blue Exceed didn't have a chance to protest. He grabbed a random request off the board. "We're taking this one Mira."

"Be careful you two!" The white haired woman called after them as they disappeared through the entrance. Natsu looked down at the request. It was something to do with a pack of wolves attacking people in some village. That should take him plenty long enough.

* * *

Natsu approached the village, arms crossed and Happy resting on his head. "Where is everybody?" The cat looked around. It was like a ghost town here. They walked towards the center of the village. Maybe there would be someone there?

"Dunno, I don't see any wolves either." Just as he'd said that though he spotted one, but it was made of stone and positioned in the center of huge round area in the middle of the village. The wolf had it's head back howling at an unseen moon.

"If that's the wolf they're talking about then they might need to have their brains checked." Happy whispered into Natsu's ear.

"Are you here about the request?"

Natsu and Happy jumped five feet into the air and turned around to see a young woman. Her hair platinum blonde curls that reached down to her lower back, with a single braid in front of her left ear. Her hair was a huge contrast to her dark tan skin, either she had been born with it or she spent a lot of time out in the sun. She was tall, for a girl at least. She matched Natsu in stature, but she also looked frail. Almost directly under her right eye was what appeared to be an old scar. She wore a thin sleeveless white gown that reached just above her ankles. Her feet were bare. Her right ear bore two ring piercings and around her neck was a bead necklace. It looked like it had been made by a child. Strangest of all, her eyes. They appeared to be pure white, except if Natsu looked closely enough he could distinguish her irises and pupils from the actual whites of her eye. Still, didn't that mean she was blind? How had she known they were here? "I heard your footsteps." Her voice seemed a lot older than her body, but he supposed the strangest thing of all about her were her teeth. The canines were sharpened to a point, similar to his own. The woman- or girl, her age was still a mystery, was nothing but pure strange.

"Did you read our minds!?" Happy gasped, she laughed, it was such a mature sounding laugh for someone who looked so young. Yeah, pure strange.

"I have good intuition. My sixth sense is much sharper due to not having one of my original five." She folded her hands in front of her. "My name is Theia. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"I'm Happy!" The blue cat chimed. Natsu stared at her, something about her was off but he couldn't quite pinpoint it. "Natsu, say something!" Happy poked the dragon slayer's cheek.

"Huh, oh yeah. Name's Natsu. Heard you have a wolf problem." He almost showed her his guild mark but then it occurred to him she wouldn't be able to see it. "Is there uh, anyone else here?"

"There are many people here, Fairy Tail wizards." It was really unsettling how she kept guessing everything. "They are simply hiding away in fear of the wolves that once protected them."

"Protected them?" Natsu scrunched his eyebrows, crossing his arms. "What do you mean?"

Theia walked past them and placed her hand on the wolf statue, "You see this statue? Wolves are revered in this village. They were our protectors. Our gods." The way she said the word gods gave him the chills. "To have them turn on the village like this. It's… it's…"

"Ma'am Theia!" A young girl ran up to the trio, she looked no older than six years old. Her dark purple hair reached her shoulders where it had been cut straight across. Her bangs hung down on one side of her face and the other side was swept behind her ear. A light yellow headband was tucked into the purple locks. Large, round dark brown eyes looked up at the blind woman with worry, and her olive skin was dotted with freckles. You could probably play connect the dots with her skin. She wore a sleeveless dark yellow wool dress that came above her knees, on her feet a pair of brown sandals. And around her neck she wore a slightly longer but almost identical version of Theia's necklace.

"Selene, is everything alright?" Theia turned in the girl's direction, crouching down to her level.

The girl stopped in front of her, bending over and putting her hands on her knees as she caught her breath. "I… I woke up from my nap and you were gone! I thought the wolves had got you!"

"Shh… shh…" Theia stroked the girl's cheek with her fingers. "The wolves won't touch me, pup."

"B-but… but how do you know!" Tears were in the poor girls eyes. Natsu and Happy just watched in confusion. "The wolves… the wolves ate mama… they could eat you too."

"Eat?" Natsu raised his brow. He'd only glazed over the request but he didn't see anything about people being eaten, only injured.

Theia stood, frowning. "Little Selene here's mother was the first and only death so far caused by the wolves. It's why you're here, Fairy Tail wizards. The village has decided the only way to end the attacks is by driving away the wolves."

"Fairy Tail..?" Selene looked up at Natsu with wide, wondering eyes.

He grinned, kneeling down to pat her head. "That's right, kiddo! Don't worry, we'll make sure no one else gets eaten. 'Kay?"

"Mm-mm!" She nodded, smiling widely.

"Run along home now, Selene. It's dangerous, remember?" Theia patted the girl on the back.

"M'kay! Come home safe, ma'am Theia!" Selene turned and hurried off in the direction of home, disappearing from sight.

"She is cute!" Happy said.

Theia smiled sadly, "She is… it's a shame her mother was killed. After her mother's death I was entrusted with the girl's care. The people of the village hoped I could raise her to be an oracle like myself."

"Or-ankle..?" Natsu said, confused.

"She said oracle, Natsu!"

"Oh… sure. What's an oracle?" If Lucy had been there she would have facepalmed, but Theia simply laughed.

"A prophet of sorts." She answered, Natsu still wasn't sure he understood. "I provide the villagers with council and I've been gifted with the ability to predict misfortune."

"Oh so you're a fortune teller!" Happy nodded too as if he'd also just made the connection.

"Similar… I suppose. It is because of my gift I'm the only one brave enough to wander the village, everyone else has done their best to lock themselves away in fear of the wolves."

"Well, I guess we better get this over with then!" Natsu cracked his knuckles. "C'mon Happy, let's go hunt us down some wolves!"

"Good luck. Natsu Dragneel." Theia said, her tone didn't make it sound like much of a well wishing though. Natsu wandered off to the outskirts of the village, sniffing the air for the sign of wild canines.

"Natsu, maybe because I'm a cat I should just go back to the village." Happy floated next to him.

"You scared of gettin' eaten, Happy?" Natsu teased, the Exceed shook his head.

"No! I just figured you could handle a bunch of wolves by yourself."

"Scardy cat." Happy didn't argue, but he also didn't leave, instead choosing to fly really close to Natsu in case of emergency. The dragon slayer sniffed the air. "I don't smell nothing yet. Are there even really wolves here?"

"I don't think the village would lie about being attacked by wolves. Besides, Selene's mom was killed by them."

"I dunno… this whole thing smells kinda fishy to me."

"Ah! I'm sorry that must be why you can't smell the wolves! I shouldn't have brought so much fish with me!"

"No that's not- Wait a second." Natsu stopped in his tracks. He'd caught the wolves' scent. As if that wasn't enough there were paw prints in the dirt at his feet. They weren't far off, just a few feet ahead. "Let's go, Happy!"

He charged, the scent getting stronger the closer he came, soon he could hear growling, eyes peering at him from behind leaves. There were wolves here alright. A lot of them. Natsu stopped in a clearing. His nose was clouded with the musky scent of wild canines. There was growling and snapping as the wolves surrounded the pair. It was a good day to be a fire dragon slayer, because he was pretty sure every story he'd ever heard said that wolves were afraid of fire.

Still, he'd not even lit up his fist and the wolves seemed standoffish. In fact all they did were stand in a circle around him and Happy, merely growling and trying to scare them he guessed. Weren't these wolves supposed to be viciously attacking people? He realized the reason they weren't doing anything was because the biggest wolf, the alpha he assumed, just stood it's ground. The dog wasn't even growling, in fact it's eyes almost seemed glazed over. His fist burst into flame and all the other wolves backed off a little bit, but the alpha didn't show any sort of reaction. At least not for a couple seconds. The delayed reaction on the alpha's part was odd to him. It certainly wasn't acting like a real wolf.

"Why don't we get this over in a flash, ey Happy?" Natsu smirked, cracking his neck. "Fire dragon's roar!" The stream of fire that erupted from his mouth shot towards the large pack of wolves. He made a circle so that it shot out at all of the wolves that surrounded them. The ones who didn't immediately start running had their fur just about singed off, the others made for the hills, yelping and howling the whole way. He knew they'd just been wolves but something still bothered him about how easy getting rid of them had been. He stood there for a moment half expecting them to come back.

"You did it, Natsu!"

That pulled him away from his doubts. "Of course I did! Wolves can't beat a dragon!" He grinned with narcissistic pride, flexing his muscles a little. As he was celebrating though he thought he saw something moving in the shadows of the bushes. A woman. But she was gone as soon as he turned his head.

"Let's go back and tell Theia we finished the job!" Happy began to fly back towards the village, Natsu stared at the spot he thought he saw the woman for a little while before following suit. He was sure he'd recognized her.

* * *

"We thank you, Natsu Dragneel and Happy, for saving our village from it's torment." A short old woman bowed to the pair.

A young man walked up to them and handed them a pile of cash. "And your payment in jewels."

"Hey it was really nothing! Just glad I could help out, y'know!" He grinned, Happy took the money and stuffed it into his sack.

"It was our pleasure!" The Exceed chimed.

The old woman stepped forward once more. "If you could wait before you depart, we'd like to hold a small celebration in your honor."

"Is there gonna be food?" The woman nodded. "Then count us in, grandma!"

The celebration was in fact just a large feast. Everyone from the village was there. Everyone but Selene and Theia. The dragon slayer couldn't seem to shake the bad feeling he got from her. Natsu sat cross legged, empty plates surrounding him as he patted his stomach. He turned to the old woman who sat beside him. "So what's Theia's deal, grandma? She seems a little weird."

"Dear Theia has been such a blessing to our village. While she is different in many ways she is still one of us. She was born here in the village, you see. She didn't have the gift in her child years, but when she returned to us as a woman she was blessed!"

"Returned?" Natsu raised a brow.

The old woman nodded, "Ah yes, Theia may have been born here twenty-three years ago but she didn't always live here. She only returned to us last year you see, just after the attacks started. She gave us hope!"

"Uh-huh…" His brows knitted as he tried to think, but he was too exhausted to do that right now. "Well, thanks for everything, grandma, but Happy and I should get going."

"No, Natsu Dragneel, we thank you." She took his hands in hers and smiled gratefully.

Gathering their things Natsu and Happy made their way out of the village, leaving behind waving figures. These people would be safe now. As they walked through the forest path in the direction of Magnolia he heard tiny hurried footsteps behind him. "Naaatsuuu!" He turned around and spotted the purple haired little girl Selene running towards him, clutching something in her tiny hands.

"Hey you, I was wondering where you ran off to. I missed you at the celebration." He knelt down in from of the girl, grinning widely.

She panted, "I… I was making you this..!" She held out her hand, dangling in it was a necklace. It was similar made to the one she and Theia wore.

"Wow, this is pretty cool, kiddo!" He took the necklace, lifting it over his head and letting it fall down around his neck. The beads were the colors of fire. "Is this my reward?"

She shook her head, "Uh-uh." She held her little fists in front of her, smiling eagerly. "I only make those for family!"

"Family, huh? Am I really worthy of being such a cute girls family?" She giggled, nodding.

"Mhm! Ma'am Theia is teaching me magic, so when I get bigger, I want to join Fairy Tail and be part of Natsu's family!"

So Theia was a wizard? He thought he'd felt her magic power but it was faint, like any normal persons. "I'll look forward to that day! Take care of yourself, kiddo." He ruffled her hair and stood up.

"Bye, bye, Natsu!" She waved, then ran off in the direction of the village.

"Such a sweet girl." Happy let out a little yell and Natsu turned around. What was Theia doing here? "She's like a daughter to me you know, I'm technically her mother now after all. It was horrible, what happened to her real mother." The blind woman paused, very little emotion in her voice. "They had the same hair you know. But, now we don't have to worry about the wolves anymore, so there is no threat of anyone else losing their life."

"Yeah. Those were some pretty tame wolves, must've been from being treated as gods all their lives."

"Indeed." Theia nodded. "Thank you, Natsu Dragneel and Happy. The village is forever in your debt." Then she pushed past them, walking towards the village with silent footsteps. Natsu caught a whiff of her scent as she did, something inside him going on red alert.

"Come on, Natsu! I'll fly you so we can get home faster!" Happy was now hovering beside him, wings outstretched.

"Yeah. Let's go back to the guild."

* * *

Natsu stretched, Happy walking beside him. "Maaaan! That job wasn't as difficult as I'd hoped." At least they were back in Magnolia. Since he'd refused to take the train it had taken him longer to get to the village and to come home. Seven days had passed in total.

"At least those people don't have to worry about the wolves anymore! And little Selene seemed happy."

"Yeah…" Natsu ran his fingers over the homemade necklace that the little girl had given him as thanks. His mind went back to Theia, the strange blind woman who was Selene's caretaker and the village's oracle. "Happy, what did you think of the Theia chick?"

"She seemed really nice, why Natsu?"

"It's nothing." It wasn't nothing though. His eyebrows furrowed as he remembered the scent she'd had when they left. It had been on her when they met too but it hadn't really stood out until after he'd driven away the wolves. He'd found it strange too, how she was the only one who wasn't afraid of the wolves. Sure she said she had her fortune telling, but there was something off about her story. And the elder who had told him Theia had been born in the village but hadn't always lived there? Plus the wolves seemed to be a little too easy to get rid of. Theia's scent, the only reason it meant anything after the wolves, was because her scent was that of a wolf. She smelled like the wolves. And it wasn't because she lived in a village that worshipped them, considering she was the only one who smelled like it.

"Natsu what's with that look on your face? Are you constipated?"

"No!" He shouted, "I'm thinking!"

"Oooooh," Happy nodded his head in understanding now. "That explains it."

"Explains what!?"

"Natsu, Happy, welcome back!" The dragon slayer hadn't realized they'd already arrived at the guild, he'd just been walking on autopilot. The person who greeted them was Mirajane.

"Yo, Mira." He walked up to the bar, setting his stuff down by one of the stools.

"How was the job?"

"Weird." He said, not saying anymore. Then he remembered something. "Hey, Mira, shouldn't Lucy be back by now?" Natsu leaned over the bar and stared at her, waiting for the answer.

Mira's forced smile said it all. "Oh, I'm sorry Natsu, but Lucy and Gray came back from their job early. Gray's at home but Lucy left on another job yesterday with Wendy."

"_WHAT!?_ YOU MEAN SHE'S GONE AGAIN!?"

* * *

**A/N: Good news is I finished another chapter on time, bad news is I'm caught up to the Fairy Tail manga and I'm dead inside. Oh well, things are going to get interesting next chapter. Natsu and Lucy will be teaming up again, but don't get excited, I'm a sadist when it comes to writing. And what's up with this Theia person? Does she give you the creeps too? Or do you think Natsu's just being weird. Please leave a review telling me what you think so far! Even if you're just saying "This is really cool! Can't wait for what happens next." it's enough to motivate me! If you guys didn't like it I wouldn't write it. **


	5. Torn Apart

_Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail_

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_V - Torn Apart_

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Everyone in the guild was wary of Natsu. It had been a month since the last time he saw Lucy in person, and it was starting to grate on his nerves. He couldn't figure out what her problem was either. Was she avoiding him or something? What had he done wrong? Probably a lot of things but he couldn't think of one that would make Lucy avoid him. He'd been thinking about it so much his face was practically stuck looking scary from working his brain muscles almost non-stop.

Happy walked over to where his friend sat at one of the corner tables. "Natsu… we could go on another job-"

"No! What if Lucy comes back while we're gone and she leaves before we get back." He'd tried waiting in her apartment. When he asked the landlady if Lucy had come back to pay her rent, she told him that she'd paid enough rent to last two months. Probably accumulation from all the jobs she'd been going on with other people. That meant she planned on not being home for two whole months! Who on earth would she try and drag off when she came back? First it was Levy, then Gray, Wendy and Carla… Currently she was on a job with Erza and they were taking forever. He'd missed her return from her job with Wendy two weeks ago because he'd been asleep at home. Now he only went two places, her apartment or the guild, those seemed to be the only places she was going in Magnolia anyways. During the day he ate and lurked in the guild and at night he would sneak into her apartment to sleep and wait. He'd searched it for clues a million times, but all he'd found was scandalous underwear and dust bunnies.

His ears perked up when he heard the sound of clanking armor and caught the whiff of strawberry cake. There was only one person who those things could be paired with. Erza had just arrived back at the guild. Then he smelled summer, he looked up and his eyes caught a flash of yellow. Lucy!

"Welcome back you two! That took longer than expected. Did you run into troubles?" Mira greeted them cheerfully, everyone in the guild had seemed to breathe a sigh of relief when they saw Lucy, knowing that Natsu was still sitting there in the corner. They'd all begun to worry if he would explode if he didn't see her soon.

"Our target kept moving from town to town. It took us a while to catch up with them." Erza said.

"I didn't feel like much help though… Erza mostly took care of everything." Natsu's ears perked at the sound of her voice, she really had come back. "Although… something was off about the whole thing. That man claimed it wasn't him who'd attacked those people. He said it he was being controlled by a gir-"

"Lucy!"

* * *

She'd just gotten back from her job with Erza. After a whole month of taking jobs non-stop she figured she was due for a rest. She'd planned on being gone a bit longer but she missed her own shower and her bed. Plus she wanted time to think over the events that transpired after they'd caught the criminal they were after. He said he wasn't really the one who'd been hurting those people, but of course the evidence was all piled up against him. Eyewitnesses had seen him, there was lacrima footage, his fingerprints. When he was told that he tried to say he was being controlled by someone else.

"Welcome back you two! That took longer than expected. Did you run into troubles?" It was refreshing to hear Mirajane's voice after two weeks. In fact the whole mood of the guild seemed calming. Actually, everyone seemed to relax when she walked into the guild.

Erza walked straight up to the bar. "Our target kept moving from town to town. It took us a while to catch up to them." Lucy came up beside her.

"I didn't feel like much help though… Erza mostly took care of everything." She smiled awkwardly, scratching her cheek. "Although… something was off about the whole thing. That man claimed it wasn't him who'd attacked those people. He said it he was being controlled by a gir-"

"Lucy!" She never got a chance to finish speaking before she was tackled. She felt someone's head on her boobs and arms clung tightly around her waist. She blushed.

"N-Natsu! Get off of me!" She tried to force him off of her. "Off! Get off!" It was Erza who pried him away from her.

"Luuuucy!" Happy came flying over now, hugging her arm and sobbing. "Thank goodness you're back!"

"Happy… what has gotten into you two?" She looked between them.

"You were gone so long! Natsu and I missed you!" Happy cried, Lucy carefully pulled him off her arm.

"B-both of you..?" She looked to Natsu, her cheeks flushing a light red.

"Well yeah you're our friend. You were gone for like a month!" Natsu complained. She sighed, of course, she couldn't let herself read into it. "Why'd you go on so many jobs with other people anyways? We're a team!"

"What, you mean I'm not allowed to go on jobs with other wizards just because we are part of a team?" She crossed her arms. "I don't really see a problem with it. Besides if we were only allowed to go on jobs with each other why would you go on so many with just you and Happy by yourselves?"

"Yeah but it's not like we leave for whole months!"

"But it wouldn't be a big deal to you if you did. If you left for a whole month you wouldn't see anything wrong with it? I bet you could just up and leave for a whole year and not care! I'm not required to go on jobs with you just because we're a 'team'" She made air quote with her fingers.

The air in the guild grew heavy between them and people who had looked overjoyed for Lucy's return started to shrink away from the pair as they stared each other down. Mirajane was the first to speak up over the tension. "Now, now! Let's just relax and be happy everyone is back safe and sound! Lucy I hope you plan on sticking around, you really should rest up after all those jobs back to back."

She didn't want to stay in Magnolia right now, not so long as he was here. But Mira was right, Lucy's body was sore and tired. Normally if she was gone for a whole month or more working a job it wasn't her choice, but this time she'd decided to work herself to death. "Don't worry, Mira I will. But I think I'll go home to rest." Lucy shot Natsu a look. "And I don't think I'll want any company."

"Who'd want to go visit you when you're in such a pissy mood." He had his arms crossed over his chest, not even turned in her direction. That made her even angrier.

"Maybe as long as they're not you I'll let them in! I don't think I'll be in such a pissy mood then with civilized guests! Now if you'll excuse me.." She furrowed her brows in frustration, eyes closed tight. "I'm going home."

"Tch. Whatever." Natsu stood there like a statue, every bit of his body language screaming: I'm shutting you out! I'm ignoring you! I don't care what you say!

Lucy growled and quickly made her way out of the guild. She wished, just wished, he hadn't been there when she'd come back. Maybe she'd just rest up for today and leave tomorrow before he came back. That is if Mirajane would let her.

"I hate him." She lied to herself.

* * *

The entire guild was anxious for Natsu and Lucy to "kiss" and make up. Surely Gray must be feeling a little neglected now that he wasn't the one Natsu argued with whenever they were in close proximity. Of course Erza didn't get involved because there wasn't the possibility someone was gonna punch the other–well Lucy might punch Natsu but it was unlikely he'd do the same back, even if he was mad. Lucy was fortunate enough though that she didn't have to worry about people taking sides, aside from Happy and Levy, because everyone in the guild wanted to stay out of it. Everyone but Mirajane apparently. Who'd made various efforts to try and get the two on good terms again. So far it hadn't worked.

Currently the two parties were on opposite sides of the guild, making every effort they could to ignore each other, but they left a heavy cloud of gloom between them that stretched over everyone else. Lucy sat at a table with Levy and Wendy, trying to make cheerful conversation, while Natsu was leaning on the wall grumbling to himself about complaints that had nothing to do with the current situation but were serving as distractions that only riled him up more.

"Natsu! Lucy! Can I talk to you both for a minute?" Mira called to them, Lucy could only wonder why the woman was scheming this time but she went without argument, excusing herself from her friends. Natsu, however, appeared to be more grumpy as he stomped over to the bar.

"What is it, Mira?" The blonde asked.

"I know you two aren't exactly on the best of terms right now, but it seems there's been a job request asking specifically for you two."

"What!?" Natsu shouted, "No, I won't go on a job with her."

"I… I'd really hate to disappoint the client but…" She looked at Natsu, his arms crossed in defiance, "No I can't go on a job with someone as stubborn as him."

"The reward his 200,000 jewels." She held up the flier for proof.

"Sign me up!" The two said at the same time, causing them to glare at each other. Gray whispered to Erza, asking if this is what he and Natsu looked like when they fought. Natsu reached out to grab the paper but Lucy beat him to it, snatching it from Mira's hands.

"Don't worry Mira, you can count on us." The word us tasted a little bitter in her mouth. She began to run for the exit, she needed to make a stop at her apartment first to pick up a few things but then she'd be ready to go.

"Oi! Lucy wait up! Happy come on we've got a job!" She flinched when she heard his voice behind her. Couldn't Mira see she didn't want to do this with him? Then again, Mirajane had always been the type to ignore the situation. She sighed, running out into the street, Natsu and Happy tailing behind her.

"Mirajane." Master Makarov spoke up after the team had left, looking at her from where he sat on the bar. "What are you up to?"

"What do you mean, Master?"

The old man raised a brow. "I thought that request was specifically for Erza. You could have just sent them out on an extremely dangerous job."

"We both know they can handle it. Besides, shouldn't you have said something sooner if you had objections to it?" The woman grinned knowingly. "You're just as anxious for their fight to be over as the rest of us, aren't you?"

Makarov sighed heavily. "Those brats better not get themselves hurt."

* * *

"Isn't this great! All three of us are going on a job again! It seems like it's been forever since our last job." Happy said cheerfully in an effort to get the other two to speak, but they walked along the road in silence. Fortunately for Natsu's sake they couldn't get to their job by train, but it made their situation a little more awkward, especially since there was nothing but trees on either side of the rode for miles. It was just the three of them out there.

"It's only been two months." Lucy's voice was hinted with frustration. Because of her month long job binge Mira hadn't let her go on any since. This was the first job since her fight with Natsu, and it just so had to be with him. Part of her had a feeling it wasn't really a request for the two of them, considering they'd never been requested together before. Why couldn't Mira just leave well enough alone?

Natsu grunted, "Two months is forever."

"Don't you even start." She turned her head to glare at him but he was staring off in the other direction. She sighed, looking at her feet. They couldn't even get along for this one job. Maybe if he hadn't made such a huge deal about her going on jobs with other people she wouldn't have gotten so mad at him. No, she was upset for other reasons, that just happened to pile on top and make it worse. Now whenever they were around each other it was like someone set a timer on a bomb that was seconds from exploding. Maybe if there weren't other things in the mix she would have found it comforting that he'd gotten so upset over her being gone. That would have been a good sign, a possibility maybe her feelings were reciprocated. But right now it just felt like he was being a possessive baby.

"You're not the boss of me."

"You're not the boss of me either, Natsu." Her voice grew more hostile, someone had set the timer on the bomb to go off a lot quicker than usual. "Remember that the next time I go on a job with someone else."

She could feel the air shift as he rolled his eyes. "I wasn't tryin' to be bossy!"

"Oh really? Well it sure seemed like you were." She dug her nails into her palm, trying to keep herself from exploding. Just cut the red wire and let it go. "You get to do whatever you want and it doesn't matter, but if I try to do something without you knowing it's a huge deal." She'd slipped and cut the wrong wire, setting off the bomb early. She should never be allowed to disable a real bomb.

"We're supposed to be a team!"

"That doesn't always matter to you! Things only matter to you when they're going in your favor or might possibly ruin your dinner!"

"What the hell is your problem anyways!?"

"Maybe if you go hit your head on a few trees you'll figure it out!"

"Maybe I'll go just that!" Natsu growled, turning tail and heading off into the tree line, quickly disappearing from sight thanks to the leaves.

"Lucy shouldn't we go after him?" Happy asked with concern.

"No. He can handle his own damn self." She crossed her arms, frowning.

Happy looked up at her with worry. "What is wrong, Lucy? Will you at least tell me?"

She smiled softly at the little blue Exceed. Happy wasn't the one she was mad at, it was Natsu. "You can't tell Natsu if I tell you. You have to swear."

"Aye!" He held up his paw as if he was taking an oath.

She giggled, sitting down on the ground with her feet underneath her. "It's about that modeling job… No… actually it's a lot more than that. I…" She looked down at her hands.

"You like him." For once Happy didn't drag out the word in a teasing manner, he said it matter of factly. She blinked, looking at him and smiled.

"Yeah… I do. But- It's- Well it's complicated…" She sighed, frowning again. "I don't think he does or ever will feel the same. And he just- He acts so- Ugh!" She groaned, covering her face with her hands. Happy walked over and put a paw on her leg.

"You know Natsu. He's thick skulled! It's hard for anything to go in or come out of it." Lucy chuckled at Happy's words of comfort. "Don't worry, Lucy I'm sure he likes you too!"

"Thanks Happy… but…"

"I'm gonna go check out up ahead, okay Lucy?"

"Oh- Mhm, yeah. Be careful, Happy." The blonde nodded.

"Aye!" Happy's wings appeared and he flew off up the road, it wasn't long before she couldn't see him. How far did he plan on going? She sighed, at least she had a little time to herself to think. She pulled her water bottle from her bag, opening it and taking a long drink.

She heard rustling in the leaves behind her. That was odd. Natsu had gone the other direction so it couldn't have been him. Standing she turned around and put her hands on her keys, ready to take action if she needed to. "Who's there? Show yourself!"

There was a shift in the air. Sudden hands on her wrists, pulling her hand up in the air away from her keys and pinning her other behind her back, causing her to drop her water bottle. Teleportation magic, it had to be. She was dealing with a wizard. That explained how they'd known to get her hands away from her keys. "G-get off of me!"

"Ye're comin' with me, girlie." The voice was rough but female, unfortunately Lucy was being held too closely and tightly to be able to turn around to give a face to the voice.

She remembered Natsu was still in the woods nearby. At least she hoped he was nearby, had his anger made him wander too far? She continued to struggle in the assailants hold, taking in a deep breath to call for him. "Natsu! Hel-" She hadn't even noticed one of her hands become free until she felt something heavy knock against her skull and she blacked out, not sure if he'd heard her call his name or not.

* * *

"Damn it!" He kicked a tree, making a fairly large dent in the trunk. "What is her problem anyways?" Natsu had wandered a good ways away from the road as he couldn't hear Lucy or Happy anymore. That was fine, he didn't want to be around that sulky blonde anyways. Of course he was being just as sulky but he wasn't about to admit it. If only he could figure out why she was so angry with him.

He hadn't seen anything wrong with wanting to go on missions with her. Maybe it was a little selfish to make it sound like she should only go on jobs with him. Okay that was really selfish. Why had that even bothered him so much? And she had been right too, he probably could go away for months by himself and not bat an eye. He wouldn't even be able to know if she was going on other jobs with other people, he probably wouldn't care. But there was just something about the way she'd been going on jobs nonstop. Like she was purposefully trying to avoid him. Maybe that's why he'd suddenly gotten so possessive. The one job with Levy hadn't been a huge deal, he'd been a little jealous yeah, but if she'd come back and stayed back like a normal person would after finishing a job then it wouldn't have been odd. Of course it hadn't helped she'd left with Gray for her second job without him in a row. And then leaving again for another while he was on a job himself? It was like she was trying to only come back when he was gone. The job with Erza was the same, he'd just caught her off guard when she came back.

"She was avoiding me wasn't she!" He grumbled, "But why!? What the hell did I do?"

Just then he smelled something on the breeze, something foreboding and familiar and wild. "Natsu! Hel-" His ears caught the sound of Lucy's voice before it was cut off. It didn't take anymore than that to have him turned around and running for the road. Was it an ambush? Maybe thieves. Whatever it was it was stopping her from using her keys. Otherwise she shouldn't be in distress. He lit up his fists, ready to fight. As he ran through the trees he thought he caught something in the corner of his eye. A flash of pale blonde. He didn't care enough to stop. The only blonde he cared about right now had called his name, and her hair was yellow like the sun.

"Lucy!"

"N-Naaaatsuuu!" This time the voice that called out to him was Happy. Was his best friend in trouble too? No, Happy was flying towards him at the speed of light. "Th-they got Lucy!" He dodged the cat, the hairs on the back of his neck prickling.

"Not if I don't get to them fast enough!" He burst out through the trees finding himself on the road. Not a trace of Lucy was left except for her bag and a water bottle that had spilled all over the dirt, turning the one small spot into damp mud. He grit his teeth.

"You don't understand! W-when I got close enough they disappeared!" Happy flew back up to him. "Whoever got her… they were a wizard! They used transportation magic!" Natsu swore under his breath, but he wasn't gonna give up yet, what kind of Fairy Tail wizard would he be.

He picked up Lucy's bag. What kind of a friend would I be? "Happy you go back to the guild and get the others! I'll go after Lucy."

"But- But how are we gonna find you?"

"You remember that village we went to for that job with the wolves?" Natsu sniffed the air and narrowed his eyes, looking west. "I have a feeling she'll be there."

"What, why!?" Happy was so confused.

Natsu was already running, Lucy's bag slung over his shoulder. "It's a hunch. Just go get those guys Happy!"

"A-aye sir!" The blue Exceed flew up higher and took off in the direction of the guild, hopefully when he caught up with Natsu again he'd have Erza, Gray, and Wendy in tow. He had a feeling that their opponent was much more powerful than a dumb band thieves. No, it wasn't a feeling. There was no mistaking that smell. It had been over a month since he'd smelled it but it was still as strong in his memory as ever. It was how he'd known where to tell Happy to go.

Because he'd smelled wolves.

* * *

**A/N: Who is Lucy's mysterious captor? Will Natsu be able to save her in time? When will they have their tension resolved? Am I ever going to give these characters a break? Not for another 4 chapters at least I'm afraid. Everything just goes down hill for now, like it hasn't the past 2 chapters, but I'm just saying it gets worse. What? I don't want to give you false hope. I'm a sadist not a liar. Anyways, as always please leave a review! We're just under halfway done with the story now, only 6 more chapters left, so if you haven't already I suggest you buckle your seat belts and prepare for feels.**


	6. Villain, Magician, Monument

**A/N: Hey guys! So I'm starting off the chapter with an author's note this time because ****it just occurred to me it would probably be useful for you guys to know how some of the OCs' names are pronounced. Since I'll be introducing a few other new characters this chapter I'll include their names as well.**

_**Theia (thee-UH); **_**_Selene (sell-EE-nee); Aita (eye-TAH); Amari (ah-MAH-ree)_**

**Even if you didn't need this I sure needed the reminder considering up until recently I was reading Selene's name wrong. Bad author. Reading my own character's name wrong. Shame on me. ****Anyways I'm sorry for the interruption, I'll let you get to the chapter now!**

* * *

_Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail_

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_VI - Villain, Magician, Monument_

* * *

The soreness on the top of her head was what woke her first, but then Lucy felt her stomach twist with hunger. How long had she been out? She groaned.

"Miss? Miss are you awake?" Lucy opened her eyes, everything was a little blurry so she blinked a couple times to clear her vision. Kneeling over her was a cute little girl with dark purple hair. "Miss?"

"What… what happened..?" She rubbed the top of her head and slowly sat up. She'd been laying on a mat that was spread out on the floor, a small handmade pillow had been supporting her head. She was in a small room with not much else in it except what appeared to be a child's belongings.

"Ma'am Theia said you were attacked but she rescued you and she brought you back to the village to help you. The person who attacked you got away but they only hit you on the head with a rock."

"O-oh…" That's right it was coming back to her. She'd been caught by another wizard, a teleporter. This Theia person must have been pretty tough to have gotten rid of her attacker. She wondered if Happy and Natsu were looking for her right now, certainly she'd been gone long enough for them to notice. Her stomach growled.

"Are you hungry? You've been unconscious for a while. Ma'am Theia said you might need something to eat when you woke up so I made some bean stew." The little girl held up a bowl, "I'm sorry it's not hot anymore… I made it when you got here."

Lucy smiled softly, "That's fine, thank you." She took the bowl from the girl's hands, once she had the girl handed her a spoon. "What's your name?"

"Selene."

"That's a cute name for a cute girl!" The purple haired girl smiled brightly at that, "My name is Lucy."

"Lucy!" Selene nodded, "You should eat, it might be cold but I made sure it tasted good!"

Lucy giggled, filling her spoon with some of the soup, bringing it to her lips and sipping. "Oh! It is good. It's almost better than Mira's cooking."

"Mira?" The girl tilted her head in confusion.

"A-ah… she's a friend of mine. She's a really good cook. Probably one of the best I know."

Selene smiled widely understanding the compliment now. "Thank you! My mama taught me how. She said a proper wife should know how to cook, clean, and sew!"

"Well I think you're a little young to be thinking about being a wife. But your mother must be a great cook too if she taught you how."

"Mhm. She was…" Lucy watched as the girl's smile turned to a frown, the use of 'was' instead of 'is' told her everything she needed to know.

"I… I see… How old are you?"

"Six, miss Lucy."

"Six!?" The blonde's eyes widened. Even she hadn't been that young when she lost her mother. Not only that but she could cook and clean at such a young age? This girl was amazing. "I was ten when my mom passed away."

Selene's ears perked up and her eyes widened. "Your mama is gone too? Did wolves eat her!?"

"N-no… She got really sick." Lucy looked at the little girl, "Was… your mom eaten by wolves..?"

The child nodded slowly. "The wolves… they were supposed to protect us… but… But they…" she started to tear up but she took her fists and wiped her eyes, smiling. "But then Natsu and Happy came and scared the wolves away! So they won't hurt anyone anymore!"

"Huh?" Lucy blinked. "Natsu and Happy were here? Where is this exactly?"

"Wolfsbane village. Miss Lucy do you know Natsu and Happy? Are you in Fairy Tail? Is that why you have the same mark on your hand as Natsu!?" With each question the girl's eyes grew larger and she leaned closer and closer.

Lucy backed up a bit. "Y-yeah I'm a Fairy Tail wizard. So Natsu came here?"

The girl nodded eagerly. "He was so cool! He scared away all of the wolves with his fire! Ma'am Theia is teaching me magic so I can become a wizard. When I do I want to join Fairy Tail so that I can be part of his family someday! I even made him a necklace so he wouldn't forget me." Now that she mentioned it, Lucy did recognize the necklace around Selene's neck. It looked like the one Natsu had been wearing lately, except the colors were different. So this little girl had given it to him.

"Well we'll be glad to have you as part of our family, Selene." She smiled kindly, "What kind of magic are you learning?"

"Possession magic!"

"Po...session magic..?" Lucy wasn't sure she'd ever heard of that kind of magic before. But then again there were lots of magics, except this one sounded dangerous in a way. "Is that safe?"

"Ma'am Theia says so! She uses it to-"

"Selene, is our guest awake?"

Lucy's attention was diverted to a woman entering the room. She was striking to say the least, everything about her was strange looking. Her skin was dark but her hair was light, a shade of blonde that almost looked white and she had a scar under her eye. Her eye… no eyes… They were blind. And her teeth… It sent shivers down Lucy's spine.

"Ma'am Theia!" Selene jumped to her feet. "Do you need me to-"

"I'm fine, pup. I know my way around this house and I've already seen her."

_Seen? But she's blind. How could she see?_ Lucy thought in confusion. "U-um…"

"Run along, Selene, I'll attend to her now. You've been by her side this whole time." The woman walked over, blindly reaching out a hand to stroke the top of Selene's head. "Play with the other children. It's safe now, remember?"

"Mkay! I'll come back later, miss Lucy!" The little girl then hurried off, leaving Lucy alone in a room with this creepy woman.

"Good to see you're awake now, how is your head?" The woman came and knelt beside her, staring off into the distance. Lucy cleared her throat, the woman turned her head to look at her. The blonde realized she preferred her stare into the distance instead of stare at her with those pale eyes.

"F-fine… Thanks for helping me, Theia was it?"

"Yes that's my name. But I didn't help you." The corners of her mouth pulled upwards in a grin, making it look like she was a dog baring her teeth. Lucy shivered.

"Th-then… you're the one who kidnapped me…" It couldn't be, her voice wasn't the same as the woman who'd caught her. "But- what about what Selene sa-"

"Come now, don't tell me you've never lied to a child before? There are things little children don't need to know after all. Selene has no part in this, it's all my doing, Fairy Tail wizard. In fact I'm doing my best to make sure she doesn't find out." Theia reached out to touch the top of Lucy's head where she'd been hit but she quickly dodged the frail hand. Feeling thin air the blind woman retracted her hand. "However, I wasn't the one who kidnapped you, girl."

"Then who did..?"

"I did." There was a shift in the air. A short, pale woman now stood in front of Lucy's mat. She had wavy, auburn blonde hair that came down to her shoulders in the back but was much longer in the front. Her eyes were narrow and hazel green and her eyebrows were thick. She had a few freckles dotting her nose. She wore a brown button up blouse with several of the top buttons undone, revealing a tight black shirt underneath, paired with plain blue jeans and black boots. Around her neck was a black leather strap that almost looked like a dog collar. There was a white hair clip in her bangs but it appeared to be purely for fashion because her bangs still fell in her face, that or she was just too lazy to fix it. She also reeked of cigarette smoke, she didn't need Natsu's sense of smell to know that. Lucy recognized the rough voice and strange accent. Not to mention the teleportation magic. This was definitely her kidnapper. Lucy reached for her keys only to find they were missing. "Lookin' for these, girlie?" The auburn haired woman held up the pouch with Lucy's keys.

"Forgive Perry Roy's rudeness, girl, she raised herself. Give her the keys back, there's nothing she can really do."

"As opposed to bein' raised by wolves? I ain't that rude." The woman named Perry tossed Lucy the pouch. The celestial spirit caught it, holding it to her chest protectively, glad her keys were all safe.

"You're certainly not that smart. You brought the wrong girl. What part about red hair didn't you understand. This girl is blonde. Not only that you clobbered her on the head, you're more rabid than a wolf." Theia snapped.

"This girl-" Lucy said with a bit of hostility, finally standing up and backing away from the other two a bit. "-has a name. Lucy. And how do you even know what I look like you're blind." Red hair… did she mean Erza?

Perry began to laugh hysterically, clutching her stomach as she doubled over. Theia grit her sharp teeth, "Perry! Enough!" Still, the short woman continued to laugh, although trying to calm herself by breathing.

"Sorry, sis!" Perry stood up straight again, still chuckling a bit, "Just heard that question so many times it gets funnier every time." Theia didn't seem the least bit pleased to be called "sis" but she sighed and calmed down anyways.

"Possession magic. Selene mentioned it didn't she? Before I came in to check on you." Theia held out her hand, placing it on Perry's shoulder. "Do you mind, Perry?"

"Ye know I don't." A bright yellow magic circle appeared on the woman's chest, the moment it disappeared Theia collapsed. Lucy almost jumped forward out of instinct to catch her but Perry held up her arm to block.

"Don't worry, girl, that's normal." It was the auburn haired woman's voice but she speech sounded like the blind woman's. "Side effect you might call it.

"W-what just happened to her-?" Lucy glanced between the crumpled body and the standing woman.

"Me. Girl- Lucy wasn't it? That body is currently an empty husk, there is no one in it. Not at the moment. Not until I release the magic."

_Possession magic…_ "You mean to tell me you- You're Theia!? In Perry's body?"

"Exactly. Possession magic, despite how it appears and sounds, is actually a simple and useless magic. As you can see, I lose control of my real body. But it's a useless body as it is." Theia's somewhat cruel expressions seemed out of place on Perry's face, despite only having just met them Lucy already had it made up in her mind how the two were supposed to act. "Not saying I can't control both, it's just easier on weaker minded creatures to do so. Humans take full control."

"Then what's the benefit..?" Lucy questioned. She should probably be trying to escape, but she didn't really appear to be a prisoner. In fact, it seemed like Theia was almost challenging her, expecting her to fight back since she'd given her her keys.

"These mostly." She pointed her finger to the hazel eyes, "While it's my mind in her body, I have all of Perry's senses, including her sight. It's this way, that I know what you look like girl. And…" In that moment, Perry–no should it be Theia?–vanished and reappeared behind Lucy. "…I get her magic."

She jumped away, there was nothing standing between her and the door now but this woman could still teleport. Her keys were her only chance but she didn't want to use them yet. "Why are you telling me all of this!?"

"Because." Theia's words came from her own body now, Perry blinked as if returning from a daze. "While you aren't who I wanted, I know who you are, Lucy Heartfilia. I've seen you fight. You may not be who I wanted, but you're certainly strong enough to fill in her place." Lucy turned to see the blind woman pushing herself to her feet, grinning. "And I think it'll be much easier to get you to agree to this than Titania."

"Agree to what! Whatever it is I won't do it!"

"Not even if it will remove your hesitation with Natsu?"

* * *

Everything was peaceful at the guild again, the mood had considerably lightened since Natsu and Lucy left earlier that morning. Finally things seemed to be back to normal. People were drinking and making jokes easily without the heavy air to depress them. Everyone was confident that once those two returned they would have made up and this whole argument would be over with.

That was until a certain blue cat appeared.

"Guuuuuuuys!" Happy came flying into the guild in a rush, nearly crashing into Erza before Gray caught him by the tail. "We have a problem!"

"Calm down, Happy, what's wrong?" Erza's face showed concern. A few others realized something wasn't right about Happy's appearance.

He'd left with Natsu and Lucy.

But he came back alone.

"Where are those other two?" Gray asked, finally letting go of Happy's tail.

"It's horrible! There was an argument! And and- Lucy! She was-"

"Breath, Happy." Carla walked over, her arms crossed, Wendy stood behind her.

"What happened to Lucy? Why aren't Natsu and her here with you?" The blue haired girl questioned.

Happy flailed his arms, unable to properly calm down. "She was kidnapped! Lucy was kidnapped!"

Mira frowned, putting her face in her hands. "This is my fault! I sent them on that request. It was supposed to be for Erza but I thought they needed some alone time together."

"It's alright Mira, these things happen. I'm sure it had nothing to do with the job." Erza said. "Happy where is Natsu?"

"He went to go look for Lucy. He said he might know where she is…" Happy sniffed. "It's my fault for leaving her alone… I went to go look up ahead after Natsu ran off angry and… And that's when she…"

Erza put a hand on the Exceed's head. "Hush, you didn't do anything wrong. In fact you did good coming here and telling us." She said, hoping to comfort him. "Now, where did Natsu think they were taking her."

"The… the village we went to for our last job! Wolfsbane Village!"

Wendy knelt down in front of Happy, smiling. "Don't worry, Happy, it's probably just the usual trouble. We'll have her back safely in no time."

"Aye!" Happy nodded firmly, tears still in his eyes.

"You know the way, Happy. Lead us there!"

"Aye sir!"

* * *

_A pale skinned blonde haired woman sat on the floor, cradling something in her arms and sobbing loudly. A bald man with dark skin crouched beside her and placed a hand on her trembling shoulder. "Amari, please stop crying-"_

_"Aita look! Look at her! Our child she's… she's…" The woman had lifted her head, blue eyes streamed with tears. In her arms was a bundle of blankets, inside the blankets was a baby with soft white blonde tufts of hair and dark tan skin. The baby stared off into the distance, eyes pale and blind._

_The man reached out a finger to the baby girl and touched her small hand, upon feeling this she wrapped her frail fingers around his larger one. "She's beautiful. Look she has your hair."_

_"But her eyes-"_

_"Are like the moon. And we shall love her as the wolves love the moon." Aita looked to his wife with a calming smile. She sniffed, her sobs finally stopping._

_"Aita…"_

_"We must give her a name, Amari."_

_The parents looked down at their child, she was small and frail. There was no way she'd survive long, especially without the ability to see. "Theia." Amari stroked the baby girl's cheek. "Her name is Theia."_

_"Theia it is."_

_"Theia! Come inside, pup, it's too hot outside for you!" The blind girl looked up from where she had been playing in the dirt, hearing her mother's voice. She stood, following the sound through the darkness. She didn't know what her mother looked like but she knew she had a beautiful voice, so she must be a beautiful woman._

_"Comin' mama!" She called with her small voice, but just then something felt like it caught in her hair. No- someone had grabbed it._

_"Where you goin' monster?" A boys voice chuckled, she heard two more voices chuckle. A girl and another boy._

_"To my mama! You should go to your mama's too!" Theia whined, he was pulling to hard on her hair. It hurt._

_"Monsters don't have mama's." The boy began to lift her up by her hair. He was obviously bigger and stronger than her. She felt her eyes fill with tears, a sob escaping her lips. "Monsters don't have anything."_

_"M-mama..!"_

_"Careful the monster might bite you! Then you'll be a monster too!" The little girl snickered._

_"Get out your knife! We should cut her hair!" The second boy chimed in._

_"Or gouge out out her eyes, not like she needs them anyways." The first said._

_"Mama!" Theia cried out but she felt a hand cover her mouth, she heard the sound of someone pulling out a knife. The cold sharp tip touched her cheek, just below her right eye._

_"What are you brats doing to my daughter!"_

_Whoever was holding the knife was startled by her father's voice and jumped, causing the knife to cut a wound beneath Theia's eye but not doing any damage to the eye itself. The girl cried through the hand that was still on her mouth._

_"Crap let her go! Let's get out of here!" The hand let go of her mouth and she fell to the ground when her hair was released. She felt the hot blood trickle down her cheek._ It hurts. It hurts.

_"P-papa…" The girl sobbed, "Papa my face… It hurts…"_

_"My beautiful pup what did they do to you? That cut is deep we need to get you inside to your mama." She felt her father's secure arms pick her up. "Amari! Get the medicine!"_

It hurts… I hate them… It hurts…

_"Hurry get water!"_

_"We're trying but it's hard! It takes too long to pull it from the well!"_

_"Then stop standing there and work faster! All of you over there run to the lake and fetch as much water as you can!"_

_It was hot. So hot. Theia couldn't see it but she could feel the heat and hear the fire roaring. The village was on fire. Her home, was on fire. She was trapped inside with her mother who held her tightly._

_"Amari! Theia!" Her father screamed, trying to find a way inside with her uncle's help._

_"Papa!" Theia cried, her mother petting her hair with a shaking hand._

_"Shh… it's alright pup, your papa is going to save us."_

_"Mama… I'm scared… What's happening..?"_

_"Theia!"_

_"You should run to your father, pup. He's calling for you."_

_"Amari!"_

_"He's calling you too mama…"_

_"I'll wait here a little while longer, go on I'll catch up."_

_Theia didn't know. She couldn't see it. Her mother's leg was broken, crushed under a fallen beam from the ceiling. The house was coming down on them from them thanks to the fire._

_"Theia!" Her father broke through, running into the burning home. He grabbed his daughter's arm, hesitating when he saw his wife. "Quick, your uncle is outside- you know the way out!"_

_"But-"_

_"Go! I'll help your mama!"_

_"O-okay!" Theia quickly ran towards the exit._

_"Theia over here!" Her uncle's voice led the way. Once she was close enough he grabbed her and pulled her from the house._

_Suddenly there was a deafening crash and the sound of people screaming. "Oh my god…" Her uncle's voice sounded shaky. "They… they're…"_

_"Uncle… What's happening..?" Theia had no idea what was going on. "Papa and mama are coming right..?"_

_"I…"_

_"It's that child's fault!" A woman screamed. "She was a bad omen from the start! Because of her the village is on fire and Aita and Amari are dead!"_

_"What- No-" Her uncle tried to protest but he was still in shock. Theia was too._

They're dead..? Mama and papa are…

_"That child has brought us nothing but misfortune! Just look at her she's a monster!"_

_People began to sound their agreement, even without solid proof that she had caused any misfortune. The child had almost been a victim of the fire herself._

_"Let the wolves judge her! Surely they will rid us of the girl and the town will be blessed!"_

_"Feed her to the wolves!"_

_"Get rid of her!"_

_"Kill the monster!"_

No… No… I didn't do anything… Mama and papa… Mama and papa know but they're… they're..!

_"Grab her!"_

_She felt herself being yanked from her uncle's arms, despite his protests the people were blood thirsty. They wanted someone to blame for this disaster, it just so happened they picked a frail blind girl._

_"Uncle help!"_

_"Theia!"_

_"Throw her into the woods! Let the wolves eat her!"_

No..! No please! I hate them… I hate these people! Someone help!

_She was carried and dragged far away from the village, too far for her to find any of her landmarks. She was dragged into a large clearing, then thrown into the dirt._

_"The wolves know what you really are, monster. They will pass judgement on you."_

_"No..! Wait please!" Theia reached out to thin air but no one was there. She was alone._

_No, she wasn't alone. She could feel the presence of other creatures in the brush around her._ The wolves! No please someone help me! I didn't do anything wrong! _She could hear animal footsteps, several of them. The child began to cry out of fear, covering her head with her tiny hands._ They're going to kill me! Help! Please mama, papa, help me!

_She felt hot breath on her skin. Something growled behind her. There was warm fur brushing against her arm. A wet nose pressed against her cheek. A tongue licked her forehead. She whimpered. It's going to eat me!_

_But it didn't, none of the wolves did. Instead the crowded around her, some of them nudging their noses against her. A few laying behind her back. One even set it's head in her lap. It was almost like they were comforting her. "H-huh..?"_

The wolves passed their judgement on me. And they decided me as one of their own.

* * *

"Did you know, the people of this village used to worship the wolves up until recently." Theia crossed her arms over her chest. "But don't you think it's odd how a village that worships the wolves is named after a plant used to kill wolves?"

Lucy furrowed her brows, crossing her arms as well. "To be honest it didn't actually cross my mind… what were you saying about Natsu?"

The woman seemed to ignore her question, continuing on with her story. "This village didn't always worship the wolves, in fact they feared them at one point. Before the village was formed the people lived in fear of being attacked or eaten. Eventually the people banded together and started to kill off the wolves. It wasn't until they realized the wolves had been keeping other creatures at bay for years that they stopped, eventually beginning to see the wolves as the village saviors. As generations passed the wolves became like gods. They built a stone monument in the center of the village in the image of a wolf to honor them. But of course, wolves care not for statues. And the wolves never forgot the human's cruelty. So the wolves lived in fear of the humans for decades.

"I too was thought of as a monster by the people of this village. When I was eight I was thrown out to be eaten by the wolves. But the wolves had become so tame and afraid of humans over the years they began to take care of me instead of attack me like the people thought. Then when I was older Perry found me, she took me under her wing and gave me a book about possession magic. I learned how to use it on the wolves, and with it I was able to see for the first time in my entire life."

Lucy was starting to feel for this woman, but she had kidnapped her and wanted to do something with or to her. Despite her tragic past she must not have good intentions, she couldn't let her guard down. "Why are you telling me all this?"

"Because after traveling with Perry Roy for some time, training my magic and educating myself along the way, I came back to the place of my birth. For one purpose. And don't think I need to explain what that purpose was." Theia grinned.

Lucy thought about it. It wasn't hard to make the connection. Theia controlled the wolves. Selene said her mother was killed by wolves. Theia lied to Selene about lots of things. Selene said the wolves used to protect the village but they had to get Natsu to drive them away? Was Selene's mother the only person attacked by wolves?

"You want revenge for being cast out." Lucy said with a glare.

The woman's grin grew wider, baring her sharp canines again. "You are a smart girl."

"But why kill an innocent little girl's mother! I'm sure her mother had nothing to do with you being thrown out, she must have been just a little girl herself when that happened!"

Theia's smile faded and her voice grew bitter. "I never intended to kill the poor child's mother. But you're wrong in thinking she had nothing to do with my past. You see, I was tormented by these people even before they threw me out. Her mother was two years older than me, and constantly took advantage of my weaknesses to bully me, along with two boys." She touched the scar under her right eye. "The adults never seemed to bat an eye at it. Although how would I have known I couldn't see them. It was only when my parents caught them I would be saved. But when my parents died there was no one stopping the villagers from using their petty superstitions to get rid of me."

Lucy felt conflicted, she wanted to empathize with this woman, she wanted to feel for her. But this revenge she sought was wrong. "Was her mother the only one you killed..?"

"The only one I killed yes. But maim?" Her smile grew again, "I've hurt several of my tormentors already. Including the ones who left the village in my absence. I'm sure you're familiar with those attacks as well."

Lucy's eyes widened. The job with Erza. The criminal who claimed he was being controlled. _Possession magic..!_ It all made sense now. Those people who had been attacked… it hadn't occurred to her at the time that maybe there was something connecting all of them. Perhaps the place they came from? And Perry Roy's magic explained how the criminal could change locations so quickly. She was probably teleporting the criminal and Theia from place to place.

"So have you figured out what I want with you?"

"I think so…" Lucy gulped, straightening herself. "Since you can only control one person at a time, wolves aren't effective enough to attack a whole village. You wanted a wizard who could take down the entire place at once. That's why you went after Erza, but you got me instead."

Theia looked at Perry, as well as a blind person could stare someone in the eye. "Look at this girl, so much intellect and she's a little over half your age, Perry. She's not traveled to nearly as many places as you have, and you she's still smarter than you. Yes," She turned her attention to Lucy again, "you are spot on with that assumption."

"I'm not as strong as Erza though, I won't be of any use to you."

"You forget girl, I've not been living in a hole like these mutts in the village." She stepped a little closer to Lucy. "I've heard plenty about what you Fairy Tail wizards can do, there is hardly a weak one among you. Not to mention, what you did at the Grand Magic Games. Surely you're not as strong as Erza, but you are far from not strong enough to do what I need."

"What makes you think that I'll help you hurt these people!? What makes you think anyone from Fairy Tail would help you do that?" Lucy fired off, "I understand that some of these people are responsible for what happened to you, but they didn't know any better. I've learned many times people will do the wrong things thinking it's right because their religion says so."

"Then why haven't you tried to apprehend Perry and me?" Theia smirked and Lucy faltered. "One of the many unfortunate side effects of my magic is that I can only possess people who've given me their permission. Even if I've possessed them before, I always have to have their permission. It's a nuisance but I suppose it proves how weak my magic power really is. That's why I need people like Perry, the wolves, and you Lucy Heartfilia. But if you were truly so unwilling to give me your permission wouldn't you have tried to stop me already? At least run away. What are you afraid Perry will stop you because she can teleport? Perry wouldn't do a thing unless I told her to, and I'm not about to force you to agree, that wouldn't work either."

Lucy grit her teeth. This woman had a point. Certainly she could take them both down with her spirits. Teleportation magic and weak possession magic? She could probably summon Virgo or Taurus and have it all done with. But there was something stopping her, something that made her take her hand away from her keys.

"Perhaps you're still curious about what I said earlier." The blind woman spoke up over the silence. "About your hesitation with Natsu."

That was definitely it.

"What did you mean by that..?" Lucy asked cautiously.

"Don't you think I could make it easier for you to confess how you feel to Natsu Dragneel?"

"I-I don't know what you're talking about!"

Perry, who'd been silent this whole time, burst out laughing, "Oh please! Girlie, I was listenin' the whole time you were talkin' to that blue cat thingy. I heard everythin'."

"And she told me everything." Theia sighed, "It truly is something sad to have unrequited feelings, not that I'd actually know. The last thing I loved was my parents." Perry seemed to flinch at that statement. "But I do know how it feels to want something and it be out of your reach. For you to not have the ability to act."

"You're wrong… I… I can't tell Natsu how I feel not because he's out of my reach." Actually I'm probably out of his reach… She vainly thought to herself for a split second. "It's because I don't-"

"You don't want to lose him? You're afraid your 'family' bond will get in the way? These are all reasons you've made up to yourself to hide how you feel. And it's tearing you apart inside isn't it?"

Lucy was quiet.

"If you allow me to take control of your mind. I can help you say the things you feel, I can make it so he understands. I'm sure there's no way he won't feel the same." Theia smiled kindly, although it seemed out of place on a face that had been holding such a devilish grin. "Perhaps, I'll do it free of charge. I'll help you, but I won't ask that you help me. All I ask is you don't mention any of this to anyone, especially not Selene."

The blonde clenched her fists and furrowed her brows. There was no way she was going to agree to this. Theia could keep on dreaming. Dreaming in prison. All Lucy had to do was grab one of her keys and that would be it. She had to refuse. She was going to refuse. How could she trust a woman who lied to a girl about killing her own mother? It didn't matter that all of her problems with Natsu could be solved. It didn't matter she could finally have what she'd wanted for so long. She was going to refuse her. She had to. She was going to!

"I…" Lucy closed her eyes, "I-"

* * *

Natsu skidded to a stop when he saw the wolf statue in the center of the village. "Lucy!" He called out. Where was she? She had to be here. He'd smelled the wolves. This was the only place she could be!

"Natsu!" His nose caught her summery scent and he turned around to see her running towards him. He hadn't prepared himself for her to crash into him, her arms wrapped around his torso in a tight embrace.

"H-hey!" He was about to pry her off but something stopped him.

"Thank god you're here! That Theia woman… she kidnapped me, but it was Erza she wanted- She… she let me go because of it… but…"

"Where is she." Natsu was furious. So he was right to have been suspicious of Theia.

"Natsu…" He was surprised when he felt her grip tighten on him. He looked down at her. "I… There's something I've been meaning to tell you." She looked up to him, her face red.

"Lucy..? Hey you alright your face is-"

"I… I want you to know… I've held it in so long but I can't anymore. And I'm done fighting with you because I'm too afraid to say anything." She had a look of determination.

"Lucy what's gotten into you?" He stared at her, confused. But at the same time something within him burned. Something he hadn't noticed before, or maybe he had and never realized what it was before.

"I… I love you Natsu! Not like family! I love you like someone loves their boyfriend… o-or their husband..! I love you in the way that I want to kiss you whenever I see your stupid face! Please… please tell me you… that you feel the same way because I'm tired… I'm so tired of hiding how I feel…"

Natsu looked into her eyes. Was this why she'd been so angry? Was that why she acted so weird after the modeling job? "Lucy…"

"Just…" She leaned in closer to his face, he felt his own cheeks heat up. "Even if you don't feel the same…" She closed her eyes, "I want to know what this feels like."

She was going to kiss him! Natsu felt panicked, but something inside him wanted to kiss her too. _Maybe I… Is it possible that I love her too..?_

Natsu closed his eyes. One of her hands wasn't on his back anymore. And that's when he smelled it.

He shoved her off of him.

"W-what the hell!?" She looked up at him, almost hurt. But he knew better.

"What the hell have you done to Lucy!?" He growled, getting down over her and pinning her hands to the ground. There was a knife in her hand.

She didn't even bother to struggle, she just grinned. "You're smarter than you look, dragon slayer Natsu Dragneel. But I was sure I'd already mastered her personality, I thought if I acted like her I could get you out of the way more easily."

"What are you!?"

"An oracle, but better referred to as a wizard. You knew that though, didn't you?" Lucy's eyes narrowed but he knew it wasn't really her doing it. "Perry!"

Just like that, someone materialized behind him. "This is gonna hurt ye more than it hurts me." The teleporter sent a kick right between his legs. Oh that was low. He groaned in pain and rolled off of Lucy's body.

"That's better." Lucy stood up and brushed herself off. "Perry take care of him. I have a village to burn."

* * *

**A/N: So what do you guys think of Theia's possession magic? I created it to be a kind of weak magic on its own, since Theia herself is very frail and doesn't have a whole lot of magic power. Her magic was how she was able to "see" Natsu and Happy in chapter 4, she probably had control over a wolf somewhere. This is also half the reason Natsu smells wolves whenever she is around, the other half is actually because she was raised by them and probably does smell like dog so.**

**Also, I think this was the longest chapter I've written for the story so far! I'm really proud of myself. This weeks song is "Rabbit Holes" by Paper Route. Actually, the entire story's title is taken from a line in that song. Doesn't mean the whole story is inspired by it, just this one chapter is. As always, please leave a review telling me what you think! I really enjoy reading your feedback.**


	7. Blood Red Fury

_Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail_

* * *

_VII - Blood Red Fury_

* * *

"I…" Lucy closed her eyes, "I-"

Theia grinned.

"I'll do it…" Lucy slumped her shoulders. No matter her resolve it didn't seem like she could refuse this woman. "But… but I don't want you to use me to hurt these people!"

"Of course. A promise is a promise Lucy Heartfilia." Theia extended her hand. "It might feel a little strange at first. But it doesn't hurt, I swear."

Lucy hesitantly held out her hand. Theia must have sensed her draw closer because she reached out and grabbed the blonde's wrist. It felt… wrong, and she was sure if she could feel her own body she would have gasped in pain. She could still think on her own but it was like she'd been shoved to the back of her own brain while someone else took the reigns. She thought she'd given her permission but it felt like Theia had forced her way in. It felt so wrong.

Her body moved on it's own. No Theia moved it. Lucy wanted to claw her way out of own skin, she didn't like how this felt. She didn't want this anymore, but she realized the bit Theia had left out, once she was in her mind there was no going back. Being in the same mind as Theia now meant that she knew the woman's true intentions. She never meant to hold her promise. Lucy's body knelt down beside Theia's now collapsed body and reached into a fold in Theia's dress. She pulled out a knife.

"Lucy!" It was Natsu calling from somewhere in the village. If she could Lucy would have cried.

"Just in time." Lucy heard her own voice say but it wasn't her who'd said it. "Perry, be ready when I call you."

"Yes, si- Theia." Perry corrected herself. Lucy wondered how often she let that slip.

Theia using Lucy's body began to walk out of the room, the real Lucy willed her to stop. She knew what she was going to do and it pained her. _Please no! Don't hurt Natsu! You can't!_ She wasn't sure if Theia couldn't hear her thoughts or if she was just ignoring her. Theia tucked the knife away in Lucy's clothes, hiding it from anyone's sight.

Theia walked out of the little house, turning down one of the streets that led to a small opening in the buildings. In the middle was a large statue of a wolf. Standing on front of it, was Natsu.

Lucy saw his back as Theia used her body to run towards him, "Natsu!" The woman called out using Lucy's voice. Natsu quickly turned around and the relief on his face made Lucy regret how she'd been treating him. He'd been so worried about her that he came here all by himself. Her body crashed into his and embraced him. Lucy wished it was really her doing it.

"H-hey!" His voice was surprised. Well of course, Theia nearly made her tackled him.

Her mouth began to move again, words pouring out that she never approved of. "Thank god you're here! That Theia woman… she kidnapped me, but it was Erza she wanted- She… she let me go because of it… but…"

"Where is she." He'd seemed to tense slightly. Natsu must have been suspicious of the woman to begin with.

"Natsu…" Lucy's arms tightened around him. Lucy could hear the words forming in the part of her mind that was under Theia's control. "I… There's something I've been meaning to tell you." Her face turned up to look at him, how Theia managed to make her blush too she didn't know. Maybe that was Lucy's subconscious coming through.

"Lucy..? Hey you alright your face is-"

"I… I want you to know… I've held it in so long but I can't anymore. And I'm done fighting with you because I'm too afraid to say anything."_ No! Natsu don't listen to her!_

"Lucy what's gotten into you?" He stared at her with confusion written on his face.

_No! No stop! I don't want to do this anymore! Stop using me!_ "I… I love you Natsu! Not like family! I love you like someone loves their boyfriend… o-or their husband..! I love you in the way that I want to kiss you whenever I see your stupid face! Please… please tell me you… that you feel the same way because I'm tired… I'm so tired of hiding how I feel…"

"Lucy…" He stared at her. The real Lucy wondered if it was because he didn't feel the same. Of course he wouldn't.

"Just…" Theia obviously could hear Lucy's thoughts as she continued. "Even if you don't feel the same…" She'd closed her eyes and leaned closer, "I want to know what this feels like."

_No don't kiss him! This isn't how I want this!_ With Theia holding her eyes closed Lucy couldn't tell what Natsu looked like. She couldn't see what his reaction was. Obviously he wasn't paying attention though, because Theia had managed to slip one hand away from his back to grab her knife. Or maybe he was paying attention, because in an instant her body was pushed to the ground. Inside her own conscience Lucy sighed in relief.

"W-what the hell!?" Theia spat out.

"What the hell have you done to Lucy!?" Natsu's voice was harsh as he pinned her to the ground, holding down the wrist that held the offending knife. Lucy was thankful for the times that he wasn't so much of an idiot, and happy that this was one of those times. But her happiness was short lived when she remembered Theia wasn't alone.

Theia laid there perfectly still, grinning. "You're smarter than you look, dragon slayer Natsu Dragneel. But I was sure I'd already mastered her personality, I thought if I acted like her I could get you out of the way more easily."

"What are you!?" He yelled.

"An oracle, but better referred to as a wizard. You knew that though, didn't you?" _No don't call her! Leave him alone!_ But it still wasn't working, Lucy couldn't force her out. "Perry!"

Perry appeared behind him, a large grin on her face. "This is gonna hurt ye more than it hurts me." Lucy watched as she kicked him between the legs. She felt bad for him, and now Theia was free from his hold as he rolled off.

"That's better." Theia stood and dusted off Lucy's clothes. "Perry take care of him. I have a village to burn." Lucy watched as Perry pulled out a pair of handcuffs. For a moment she wondered if they were really dumb enough to think that those would hold Natsu, but they weren't ordinary handcuffs. They were magic nulling handcuffs. Just their luck. She didn't get to see what else was going to happen to him. Were they still going to kill him? Theia hadn't ordered Perry to kill him but it was possible that's what she meant by "take care of."

Theia wandered away from the village center. Hands going to Lucy's keys. It shouldn't work. They were contracted to Lucy not Theia. So as long as Lucy wasn't in control of her body her keys were useless, right? Lucy begged that was true.

"Let's see, oh my she really does have an extensive amount of keys. Who should I use for this?" Even though it was her own fingers, Lucy was disgusted by the way Theia touched her keys. She removed Loke's key from the pouch. "Oh, the lion. This one should be perfect. I read about how this works, I think it goes like this…" Theia held out Loke's key. "Gate of the Lion, open!"

Much to Lucy's dismay, it worked.

"I see you couldn't resist me any longer, Lucy." Loke appeared in front of her- them- oh it was too confusing to matter. "How can I help you today?"

Then it occurred to Lucy, of all the spirits to choose Loke was the one who worked in her favor. He'd know it wasn't really Lucy who called him because as soon as Theia opened her mouth she'd call him Leo, not Loke, the name that everyone in Fairy Tail called him by. _Loke won't listen to you!_

It was too late when she realized her mistake by thinking this. "Hey, Loke. I need to get rid of these buildings for a job, think you can give me a hand?" She was certain now that Theia indeed could read Lucy's thoughts.

"They're all empty, right?" He looked around, Lucy that she hadn't seen any other people in the village, despite Theia having told Selene to go play with the kids. It seemed deserted. Wasn't Theia trying to get revenge on the people?

"The town is abandoned." Theia said, opening the door to one of the houses and peaking inside. Sure enough no one was there. Where was everyone? "And these buildings are gonna fall to ruin soon eventually."

Loke cracked his knuckles. "I'll gladly assist you then."

"Great, thanks! I need to go check on Natsu, so can you handle this by yourself?"

"You can leave it to me, Lucy." He winked.

"Awesome! Be back in a sec!" Theia waved before starting to run back towards the village center.

* * *

_The wolves didn't pamper her like her parents did. They had accepted her but that didn't mean they were going to take care of her. She still had to fight for her own food, find her own way around. Some of the wolves who were lower on the totem pole would nudge her in the right direction, but otherwise she had to rely on her other sense more than she ever had in her life. She realized that being with the wolves was the gift she needed to learn to live on her own. But she was still sickly and frail, it was a struggle to survive._

_When Theia was eleven she filed down her canines with a rock. It was painful but she knew that if she made them sharper it would be easier to eat the animals the wolves would kill. She tore up her mouth in the process and the iron taste of blood filled her mouth. The pain would be worth it in the end. She would be able to tear into meat like the wolves did._

_She heard footsteps in the brush and she quickly threw down the rock, holding out her hands to feel for a bush to hide in. If it was one of the villagers, certainly they'd take it upon themselves to kill her this time. The wolves were already hidden away in the bushes, she was close to them she could sense it. But in her frenzy she ended up tripping over the rock she'd just been fileing her teeth down with._

_"Hey, kid, ye a'right?" An older girl's voice spoke to her. She didn't sound like a villager. Her voice sounded strange and foreign. "Oh man is that blood? Somethin' happen to ye!?"_

_"I'm fine!" Theia winced, it was painful to talk with the damage she'd done to her mouth. She heard the girl gasp._

_"What happened to ye're teeth?! Holy shit. Hold it I got somethin' to clean ye up right away!"_

_"My aunt was blind." The girl explained as she cleaned up the younger girl's mouth, "Had to help her out all the time. She went blind later in life though so long as she was home an' no one moved anythin' around she was fine. How long have ye been blind?"_

_Theia waited until her mouth was clear of any hands to speak. "My whole life."_

_"What!? You poor kid. How old are ye now?"_

_"Eleven."_

_"Seven years younger than me! Hey you could be my lil' sister. My name's Perry Roy by the way. And-"_

_"Theia." The blind girl kept her answers short._

_"Theia, that's a pretty name, if not a bad pun on your parents doing. Theia means 'sight'"_

_The mention of her parents tightened the spot in her chest. It had been three years but their death– no that whole day in general–continued to haunt her. Of course, now she did wonder if her parents had named her as a joke, or if they'd even known the meaning. "How do you know that?"_

_"I've been around, read lotsa books. I left home when I was just a year older than ye. I travel all over the place. I was just passin' through, heard there was a village out this way. Thought I'd check it out. Ye live there?"_

_"No."_

_"Where do you live?"_

_"With the wolves."_

_"What about ye're parents?"_

_"They're dead."_

_Perry's questions stopped abruptly. She was quiet for quite a while, Theia was grateful for not having to hear her speak for a while. "Sorry. I… I can't really say I know how ye feel, since I don't know what my parents are up to now. I could really care less what happens to them."_

_"How could you say that!" Theia yelled. "How… how could anyone not love their parents…"_

_"H-hey! I-I mean I don't know what yer parents were like but I guess they must've been pretty good, mine weren't ye see."_

_Theia didn't understand. She wasn't sure she wanted to._

_"Hey kid, why don't ye come with me?"_

_"What?"_

_"Come travelin' with me. I mean, most nights yel get to sleep in a warm bed, plus ye get to meet lotsa other people." Perry said, trying to convince the girl._

_"I don't like people."_

_She didn't see Perry smile but she could hear it in her voice. "I know, they're pretty terrible. That's why I don't stick around one place for too long. Plus maybe I'll teach ye magic."_

_The girl's ears picked up on that word. "Magic? You can do that?"_

_"I use teleportation magic, ye see. Maybe I can find a book with somethin' to suit ye."_

_"I'll go with you!" Theia felt a gentle hand touch her head and she flinched until she realized that Perry was stroking her hair. Just like her mother used to._

_"Sure thing kiddo. Here, hold my hand." Theia reached out and the older girl gently grasped her hand, beginning to lead her out of the woods. Perry was the first person besides Theia's own family to have ever treated her kindly._

_"What's this?" Theia's hands ran over the book that Perry had just handed her. Books never had been much use to the blind girl but she always loved having her mother tell her stories._

_"It's a book on possession magic. I traded it with a wizard in the local guild. See, if ye use it to possess somethin' weak minded like an animal, ye get all it's senses and abilities. I figured… Well since teleportation magic won't be of much use to ye, I thought… Well ye could use this to see."_

_"See? I could… I could see?"_

_"Yeah, ye could use the wolves, since they kinda would do anythin' for ye." Perry muttered. "Just like I would…" Theia pretended not to hear it, since she knew the older girl hadn't wanted her to._

_"Teach it to me! Here, read it and I'll listen carefully to the steps!" It was probably the longest she'd ever spoken at once to the older girl as she eagerly held out the book. "Please!"_

_"Alright, sis."_

_"Don't call me that…"_

_"Whatever you say."_

_"I can do this…" The sixteen year old took a deep breath. She held out her hand for one of the wolves, they had been with her so long that the wolf pressed it's head into her palm._

_"Remember to ask permission."_

_"I know!" Theia snapped. She sighed. "May I use your body?" She asked to wolf softly, she wasn't sure if it understood her but it nuzzled her palm. She assumed that meant yes. "Please let this work…"_

_There was a feeling, like she was floating through air for a split second, and then her body felt different. She stood on four legs now, her sense of smell was clouded with everything around her. Her ears perked to bugs flying through the air. Wind blew through her fur. She could see her real body laying on the ground in front of her, unconscious. She could see. She could see! Although, she imagined colors to be more… more… she didn't know. She remembered reading on her travels with Perry that wolves and dogs were color blind. She must not be seeing the full spectrum. But still. Still…_

_"Theia! Theia what happ-" Perry had been shaking the girls body until she heard the wolf whimper. "Theia..?"_

_Theia was crying, although it was the way a wolf cried. She couldn't believe it, she could really see. It was the most amazing thing she'd ever known. She never wanted to be in darkness ever again. She never wanted to let this beautiful feeling go._

_But her magic was wearing thin, and she had to return to her real body. The girl gasped and pushed herself up, taking deep breaths. The wolf, who know had it's own mind back, scampered off. Tears began to stream from Theia's eyes. "I… I need to try harder! I need to be able to see for longer! I… I want to be able to see forever, Perry… That was… you don't know how… how long I've…"_

_"Shh… shh…" The older girl pulled her into her arms. She could still remember what Perry had looked like. The little spots on her nose that must have been freckles. Her hair that was different lengths in the front and back. The fact she was shorter than Theia originally thought. Her clothes. Everything but the colors she knew she could trust._

_Not only that, but she'd seen what her own body looked like. She'd seen the scar that was left by those children all those years ago. Her sharp teeth that she'd filed down by herself. Her hair was a poofy mess. Her own appearance had scared her. She wondered what she'd looked like before her parents died. She wished she'd had this power before her parents died. She wanted so badly to know what they looked like._

_"Perry, I'm gonna try to use my body and the wolf at the same time."_

_"Theia, I don't want ye to hurt yerself."_

_"I'll be fine. Just wait and see! And Perry."_

_"Yeah, sis?"_

_"When I'm strong enough, can I use you?"_

_"Of course, you don't even have to ask."_

* * *

"Damn it! Take these stupid things off of me!" Natsu found himself handcuffed to the wolf statue, and they were keeping him from burning his way out of this situation. He needed to get the real Lucy back. He tried to pull himself free but these cuffs were strong. It was like they expected to catch him.

"Quit yer wigglin'. Ye're gonna damage the statue." The woman who'd kicked him in the nuts said, "Although, I suppose it's gonna get blown up with ye eventually so I guess damaging don't make much a difference."

"Not if I can help it!" Natsu was sure he was close to breaking these damn things, or maybe he'd pull the statue out of the ground and pull it along everywhere behind him. Actually that could make a pretty effective weapon. He could squish the wolf woman.

But currently she was in Lucy's body somehow… So it was a dilemma he wasn't sure he wanted to solve. On one hand, he was ready to tear that blind bitch to pieces, on the other he'd have to find a way to do it without hurting Lucy's body. Plus… there was that thing. That confession. Of course that had only been Theia messing with him! She was gonna try and kill him after all. But maybe there was some truth to it? It would explain why Lucy had been acting so weird. Not only that, there was a thought nagging at the back of Natsu's mind. _Do I love her?_

Of course he did. They were like family and family loved each other, just like he loved the rest of Fairy Tail. But why did something tell him that wasn't it? God, he was thinking about it too much and it was making his head hurt.

"Look I know we're gonna kill ye anyways but you'll make your wrists bleed if ye keep that up." Sure enough he'd been tugging so hard on the handcuffs that he'd started to make his skin raw. He slumped back.

"What did you guys do to Lucy?"

"Wouldn't ye like to know." The woman scoffed.

"I would shorty, so mind telling me?"

"What did ye call me..?" The woman glared at him, he grinned.

"You're almost as short as Levy! No maybe shorter. That's quite the feat you know! Levy is damn tiny!" Now he was absolutely embellishing here, only kids were shorter than Levy. But still, it seemed to get a reaction out this red haired chick.

"I ain't short, hot head. I'm taller than ye are." She pulled out a cigarette and a lighter. Natsu had thought she smelled like nicotine and bad decisions.

"Tell you what! Let me out and I'll measure you!"

She looked at him, cigarette hanging from her lips, paused halfway in lighting it. "Are ye really dumb enough to think I'd be dumb enough to fall for that?"

"I think you're just scared I'll prove you're a midget." He grinned, the woman gave him a fiery glare. "Just promise you won't kick me in the nuts again and I promise I won't try anything funny!"

"I won't promise anythin' cause I know ye don't plan on holding yers." She walked over to him, unlocking his hand cuffs. Yes! He was free! He lit up his fist and swung a punch at-

Thin air.

"What the-?"

"Did ye forget?" Her voice came from the other side of him, and he turned and swung that way too but it was too late, she'd already appeared behind his back, placing her hands on his shoulders. "I'm a teleporter."

"What kind of dragon slayer would I be if I couldn't defeat a lame teleporter!" He kicked behind him with his right leg, but she was already gone. She'd appeared at his side and kicked out his left foot from under him while the right was still in the air. He fell on his back.

She feigned a yawn. "This is pretty damn easy. Weren't you the big bad dragon who scared away the wolves? Course, you won't ever hear me say this 'round Theia but those things are dumb as hell as it is."

Natsu was already on his feet, reaching out to grab her, but she'd teleported to the other side of the statue. "Fire Dragon's Roar!" The flames shot out from his mouth, bending around the statue. He thought he'd got her until-

"Yoohoo! Up here volcano breath." He looked up to see her sitting on top of the statue. He glared up at her. Damn teleporter!

"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" This time he punched the statue, sending it crumbling in ruin to the ground. Surely the people wouldn't care, he was pretty sure they were over the whole wolf thing anyways. He knew he was.

"See, now that's pretty reckless of you." She was standing behind him again.

"Quit running around and fight me, shorty!" He growled, turning around to look at her.

She grit her teeth. "Don't mind if I-"

_"PERRY!"_

"Shit…"

Lucy–No Theia in Lucy's body–stormed into the village center. He'd seen that look on Lucy's face many times but normally it was directed at him. This time the look was directed at the Perry woman. "What on Earthland prompted you to LET HIM GO!"

"He ain't goin' no where! I was just taunting him a li-"

"I have to do everything myself!" Lucy–Theia shoved Perry out of the way, he figured she'd reach for one of Lucy's keys but she grabbed the whip instead. Well, whip-like weapon. Only Lucy knew how to use it. She must already have one of the celestial spirits out if she was relying on weapons. Useless to her of course though.

Or so he thought, until she whipped out the stream or star filled water in the shape of a whip. How had she known the way it worked!? Even he couldn't figure it out. She really must be inside Lucy's head. He was too stunned to notice the whip coming at him until the last minute. He jumped back away from it, laughing.

"You're gonna have to try harder than that to catch me!" He stuck out his tongue.

"Really? I didn't have to try that hard earlier, when I almost kissed you." She smirked, flinging the whip his direction again. He jumped to the side.

"Killed! Almost killed me! You're getting your words mixed up." He knew he could easily take her down with a punch, not like Lucy's body was strong enough to handle fire dragon's iron fist without going down. He normally wouldn't have a problem with it, of course he'd never been in a situation where he had to hit Lucy. Also the nagging thought of love was still in his head gnawing away at his brain.

"No, Natsu, I meant kiss. I think you wanted to kiss the Lucy girl, I suppose she is attractive as standards go. I wouldn't really know or care. Tell me, how did you know I wasn't really her? Don't tell me you thought it was because of the confession. That poor girl. How would she feel if she found out her feelings weren't reciprocated by you shoving her to the ground." She swung the whip at him again and this time caught his ankle. He yanked himself free but tripped himself up in the process.

"You just said all that so you could shove a knife in my back!"

"Not exactly. Well, yes that is it. But perhaps you do feel the same, after all, I haven't seen you try to hit me once. Is it because you're afraid of hurting poor little Lucy?" She paused for a moment to put a hand on her cheek and bat her eyelashes. It was so wrong, hearing Lucy's voice say things he knew the real Lucy would never say, or her body doing things she'd never do. Well, besides the whipping. She had tried to attack him before after he aggravated her enough.

He couldn't recall ever throwing a punch back, though. It wasn't because he had a problem fighting girls, that was stupid. He'd fight Erza or any other chick in a heartbeat given the opportunity. Hell he'd just been trying to knock out the Perry woman's lights! He wasn't really paying attention to Theia, his mind jumbled with thoughts of why he wasn't fighting back. She managed to get Fleuve d'étoiles wrapped tightly around his arms and torso. "Crap!"

"Perry get those damned handcuffs on him and under no circumstances will you let him out!" Theia commanded.

"Of course sis!" The short woman ran over to where Natsu currently was tied up by the whip and quickly restrained his wrists with the magic nulling handcuffs.

"How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that? We're not sisters, we're not even related." Perry flinched at that, looking extremely hurt. "Now hook him up over there and take off his shirt. I think I'd like to see the look on his face as his precious Lucy flogs him."

"Let Natsu go!" Natsu's ears perked at the small girlish voice and a wide grin spread on his face. He saw his friends running up to their rescue. Happy pulled through.

"Lucy what on Earthland are you doing?!" Erza said, Wendy, Gray, Carla, and Happy all trailing alongside and behind her.

Natsu struggled to get out of the handcuffs, but he was still restrained by Fleuve d'étoiles and it was restricting the rest of his movement. "It's not Lucy! Well- it is but it's not really her doing this!"

"Natsu that doesn't make any sense."

"Don't just stand there! She's gonna kill me!"

"Maybe they were just fighting again..? And it got out of hand?" Wendy suggested. Why were they all just standing there? Just then Happy spoke up.

"No that's the person who kidnapped Lucy!" He pointed to Perry.

Gray–who'd shown up fully clothed, but was now down to his underpants–cracked his knuckles. "Things aren't always what they seem right? If that's not really Lucy I guess all there is to do is knock some sense into her. Sorry, Lucy, but you have my permission to hit me if I ever start acting like an ass."

"Oh, what a sweet sentiment. I'm sure she's grateful but she won't be getting the chance. This village is coming down and you'll be caught under it." As if on queue there was an explosion near the edge of the village, smoke rising. "I'm having Leo take care of it for me."

One of Erza's swords appeared in her hand. "Were there people in those homes..?"

"If only. No, I'm afraid I had to change my plans. I was going to bring the whole village down at once with everyone inside their homes, using your body in fact. But somehow these two ended up going on your job instead, so I got stuck with the blonde and her spirits. She was easier to persuade than you would have been. Toying with her feelings for the dragon slayer was an easy task."

"Pay attention everyone! Where'd the other woman go!?" Carla shouted, sure enough Perry had vanished.

"Boo!" Perry appeared behind Wendy, wrapping her arms around the little girl's neck and vanishing again, Wendy disappearing with her.

"Wendy!" Carla cried out.

"Where'd you take her!?" Erza was furious now.

Theia laughed, it was a cruel laugh that sent shivers down everyone's spines. It wasn't the kind of sound you expected to hear from Lucy's mouth. "Wouldn't you like to know? Perhaps she's around here somewhere? In one of these buildings that 'Loke' is about to blow up. I'm sure Perry is restraining her right now. Of course, there are so many empty houses, considering the villagers are all out celebrating, like they have been for the past damn month. Truly I didn't expect them to be this happy about getting rid of the wolves. It shouldn't be long before they realize everything is falling to pieces."

"Gray, Happy, Carla, find where that woman took Wendy! I'll take care of Natsu and Lucy." Erza instructed.

"Aye sir!"

"We'll be quick!"

Theia waved as they dashed off in different directions, mimicking Lucy. "Good luck, guys! I know you can do it!" Natsu grit his teeth and glared, she wasn't even trying to stop them. Was she that confident?

"Tell me what it is you're trying to do here?" Erza had yet to change her armour, in fact she'd only equipped her sword. She obviously didn't want to hurt Lucy either.

"Erza Scarlet, I saw your power when you went and jailed one of my helpers. I'm sure you remember, it was only a month ago."

Erza's eyes widened. "That was you behind that!? Hurting all those people for no reason!"

"Oh I have a reason, I'd rather not spend my time explaining it twice in one day though. Let's just simply say I have a grudge." She smirked. "My point is, why not use that power now? I'm certain little Lucy is no match for you, you could end this in a heartbeat."

"I-"

"You don't want to hurt her either? You Fairies are all so sweet to each other." She untangled Natsu from the whip, leaving him laying on the ground with his hands cuffed behind his back. He needed to get on his feet! But it was hard when he couldn't use his hands to push him up. "But see, I have no problem hurting you!" She whipped at Erza, who dodged it quickly, then dashed toward Theia.

"I'm sorry Lucy." She said as hit the blunt side of the sword into, Lucy's stomach. Theia coughed and fell on her knees, then laughed.

"You realize… you're only hurting her body. But that won't get you anywhere. I can remain in control of her even if she's on the brink of death." She looked up at Erza with a smug grin. "And if she dies? I just move on to another host."

Erza grit her teeth, grabbing Lucy's shirt and lifting Theia off the ground. "Let her go then!"

"Let me think… Give me your body and I will."

"Never in a million years!"

"Then you'll have to kill her to get me out." She laughed again.

"Erza! You have to find her real body! It's gotta be here somewhere." Natsu spoke up from where he was. Surely Theia's body was somewhere. Unless she'd like completely fused with the blonde mage, which wasn't likely.

"And leave me to torture the dragon slayer. Yes what a wonderful plan! He'll be dead by the time you find me."

"Ha! Like hell I will be! Erza go! She's probably in one of the houses."

"Wrong! Why would I leave my body in a house where it could be crushed under the rubble?"

Erza's grip tightened on Lucy's shirt. "I will find you and I will hurt you for doing this to Lucy." Then she let her go, running off in a random direction. "Don't you die on me now, Natsu!"

"Psh! I still gotta be able to beat you before I die!" He grinned.

"Gooood luuuuck!" Theia called out sweetly, then put her foot on Natsu's back. "Now to take care of you."

* * *

**A/N: I almost didn't publish the chapter today because I've been feeling really blah the past couple days (plus it was finals week), but I thought of how you guys were waiting for this chapter and I've been so good about updating EVERY Friday. So the chapter ended up being a little shorter than I originally intended (Theia's back story has been cut into 3 parts now), but that just means I'll slip the extra stuff into next chapter. I wouldn't be surprised if chapter 8 reaches 7,000+ words, because a LOT of stuff is going to happen. Like if you think things are intense now? Man... Well, as always, please leave a review telling me what you think!**


	8. Before I Go

_Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail_

* * *

_VIII - Before I Go_

* * *

Wendy now found herself locked up inside an abandoned house. She'd try to get away but it seemed that these people had no shortage of magic nulling handcuffs, as a pair was currently securing her wrists. She could hear explosions outside, getting closer too. Was Loki really doing all this willingly? Had that person managed to fool him too? Then again, they almost fooled the rest of them too.

She hoped they could get Lucy back to normal, she also hoped that those explosions would stop getting any closer. Carla must be worried sick right now. And judging by the fact things were still blowing up they hadn't returned Lucy to her normal self yet. Wendy sighed. "And I said this was just the usual trouble…"

"Are you okay?" Wendy looked up to see a purple haired girl peeking in through the door.

"Well, um… you see…" She laughed nervously. "I'm… I'm kind of being held prisoner you see? Someone's trying to destroy the village and… I don't think they were very happy about us trying to stop them."

"I heard the noises… I… I came back to check on ma'am Theia. She didn't come to the celebration and I was worried…" The girl looked more than worried.

"I understand, but we're from Fairy Tail and we'll take care of the bad guys, okay?" Wendy smiled, despite currently being a prisoner. The girl's eyes brightened.

"Fairy Tail!? Wow! First ma'am Theia rescues Lucy, and now more wizards show up? Who is all here? Is Natsu here!?" The girl seemed to have forgotten the situation.

"Eheh… well yeah he is but he's erm… tied up at the moment..?" _Bad choice of words, Wendy._ "Do… do you think you could help me out here though? I really need to get back to my friends. Someone has taken control of Lucy and-"

"Oh don't worry! Ma'am Theia probably just needed to use her to see for a bit, after all she is blind on her own. She probably used her so they could get away from the explosions!" The girl nodded.

"H-how would she do that..?" The blue haired girl asked, curious now.

"Possession magic! Ma'am Theia is a wizard. She uses it to get into people's heads so she can see for certain things."

"Could you… could you tell me more about that..? While you think of a way to get me out."

The child nodded. "Mhm! Of course!" She walked over to where Wendy was sitting on the floor, inspecting the handcuffs.

"So… what does possession magic do?"

* * *

"You know, I'm used to getting beat on by Lucy, it's like a daily occurrence. Actually it's been happening a lot more lately. Although it's more verbal abuse. She hits pretty hard though so I can't say I mind not being slugged."

"Oh just shut up already." Theia hooked his handcuffs up to a door frame, just so that he was high enough, but not dangling off the ground. She removed the whip from it's place on Lucy's belt again.

Natsu looked over his shoulder. "What? I was just making conversation."

She tapped the handle in her palm. "You know I was gonna be nice and leave your shirt on while I flogged you. But if your prefer the more painful route."

"Can't be any worse than getting punched in the face by Erza." Natsu chuckled.

"You really have no fear, don't you?" She walked up to him, pulling the knife from her clothes again to cut open the back of his shirt, leaving his back bare.

"I have fear, I'm just not afraid of you." Natsu grinned, earning a glare from Theia as the stream of water and stars sprouted from the whips handle. She took the first swing at his back.

Okay that was a little more painful than he expected but he'd felt worse. He grit his teeth, feeling the second lash on his back. Who knew water could hurt so much? Probably everyone who'd ever done a belly flop.

"Oh? So now you're quiet?" He realized after four lashes she'd stopped, walking around to his front. It was so wrong, Lucy body doing things and her voice saying things that weren't Lucy. He'd spit in Theia's face but that wasn't what was in front of him.

"Just enjoying the massage." Natsu chuckled, even though his back did sting. She grinned.

"Oh you're just so funny. It's no wonder the girl likes you." She cupped his cheek, her features softening. He thought he could see Lucy, the real Lucy, for a moment.

"L-Luce..?"

Theia chuckled and he snapped out of it. "Kidding~ See? I can joke too." He glared at her as she walked around back behind him, she placed a hand on his bare back. He took a deep breath as her hand ran over the welts that were already beginning to form. "Shame I have to make such a handsome back bleed."

"What made you such a bitch?"

"I was raised by wolves you see. And well, wolves being the ancestors of dogs, and female dogs are bitches. It was bound to happen. With my upbringing. You were raised by a dragon, you should understand the-"

"Igneel wasn't like your stupid wolves. He was smart and strong. And much less of a coward in the face of a fight. Your wolves ran away pretty quickly when I breathed in their faces."

She'd removed her hand from his skin and stepped back, hitting him with another lash. "I'll agree my wolves aren't the smartest of creatures." She dished out the sixth lash. "But they were the only creatures who cared about a blind girl."

"So you wanna blow up the whole town because humans are cruel? I mean, have you looked in a mirror lately? Oh wait!" Natsu burst out laughing, until he was struck with the seventh lash. He couldn't contain a slight groan of pain.

"Like I said. So Funny."

"I mean, no offense but I can't really get into this." Natsu looked over his shoulder.

Theia raised her brow. But there was that little bit of Lucy making her blush. He knew it had to be Lucy. "Are you saying I'm trying to make this sexual?"

"I prefer really skimpy red dresses to be honest, not flaying my back open with a whip." He teased. She gripped the whip tightly. Those had to be Lucy's reactions. The embarrassment. It had to be. She was still in there somewhere. Maybe if he just poked and prodded a little more.

"That is why you opened up my shirt? Really, I'm flattered but I don't go for psycho chicks. I know my skin is nice to look at but-" Eighth lash. "-I've got eyes for another."

"I'll be sure to give her your regards." The blush was gone. Her hand was just gripping the whip handle tightly because she was enraged at how he was taking this so easily. "But I'm afraid you'll be too broken to return your affections."

There were several more explosions. Loke must be getting closer. "How? How can you use her spirits?"

"Honestly, explaining my magic takes so much effort I'd rather just not do it." She sighed, tracing her fingers over the welts on his back. He shivered. "But you aren't that smart so I'll spare you the guessing. If I can use her eyes to see, why couldn't I be able to use her magic to fight? Really it's simple, So long as some part of her remains in her body I have full control over her extensive magic capabilities. And oh boy does she have a lot. I figured only Titania would be this strong but this girl, she has some hidden potential and she's wasting it big time."

"Lucy doesn't waste her potential, she just doesn't like to show it off." Natsu had seen what Lucy can do, he knew how strong she was. He didn't need some stupid wolf woman to tell him that Lucy was badass. And wait a second, didn't she just admit that Lucy was still in there? He knew it. He wasn't so dumb after all, huh lady?

Theia pressed her fingers into one of the welts on his back and he winced, "No trust me, this is wasted potential. Coming from someone who does like to keep to the shadows."

Natsu scowled at her, but his features softened slightly because it was still Lucy he was looking at. This was wrong. It was all so wrong. Why did Lucy agree to help her? What happened before he got to the village? If only he'd not been a stubborn ass and ran off, leaving her alone.

Theia stepped back again. "Now be a good boy for me, Natsu Dragneel, and this'll be over in no time."

He realized he'd not heard any explosions for a while.

"Hey, do you hear that?"

She stopped, arm raised to give him another lashing. "I don't hear anything."

Natsu smirked, "Exactly. Pretty sure if your plan was working you'd be able to hear Loke blowing shit up."

Theia's eyes widened, she reached for the keys in Lucy's pouch, pulling out Loke's key. "Gate of the Lion, open!"

Nothing.

She tried for another key, looking to see which spirit it belonged to before holding it out. "Gate of the crab, open!"

Still nothing.

"Dammit!" She tried Aries key next. Then Scorpio. None of them were working. Natsu's smirk grew wider as he listened to her futile attempts to summon Lucy's spirits. The others must have done something, found Loke and explained the situation to him probably, who then went back to the Celestial Spirit World and warned the rest of Lucy's spirits. Natsu started to chuckle.

"What was that about wasted potential you were saying earlier?"

She took the pouch and threw it on the ground, cursing. Then she looked at Natsu. "YOU! You're coming with me."

"What? Aw come on, I was just starting to get comfortable."

* * *

The hunt was on. Erza wondered how far off the villagers must be for them to not notice their homes being reduced to a crumbling mess. Suddenly she stopped in her tracks. While finding this woman's body was ideal, shouldn't she find Loke and stop him instead? After all, it was no telling how many homes would become nothing but rubble before she found the imposters body. Not only that, what if the other three couldn't find Wendy in time? There was no way of knowing if she was safe or not until Loke stopped blowing up buildings. Except the mess was behind her and the woman's body was most likely somewhere outside of town.

"Tch…" She turned and began to dash in the direction of the explosions. While finding the body was important, stopping Loke could prove more helpful. If she could convince him it wasn't really Lucy controlling her body, he could go back and warn the other spirits as well. Another explosion went off and she changed course towards it. This one wasn't too much further off, Loke was close.

"And where are ye headed now, Titania? Theia's body ain't this way." The auburn haired teleporter appeared in front of Erza. The scarlet haired woman's armor clanking as she skidded to a stop.

"I don't know what you have to do with that woman's plans, but I won't allow you to interfere with mine." She was about to summon her sword when the woman held up her hands.

"Relax! Ye ain't gonna have to worry long anyways. Poor girl will be let go anytime now, depending on how stubborn my sis is." She put her hands on her hips. "Not like there is anyone inside these buildings anyways. Well, except for yer friend." She smirked, tilting her head back as if to look down her nose at Erza.

It wasn't quite working since Erza was taller than her.

Ignoring the hilarity of the woman's actions and instead focusing on the well being of her young friend, Erza glared. It was a look that could turn a brave man's heart to stone and it was obvious when the auburn haired woman's smirk faltered, leaving a look of unease.

"What exactly do you mean by what you just said?" Erza stepped forward, weapon materializing.

Despite the fear on her features Perry held her ground. She must be feeling confident her magic will save her. "Everyone has a limit right? My sis' just shorter than others." If Natsu weren't tied up right now he'd probably snicker at the height challenged woman's mention of the word short.

"Do you mean her magic?"

"I don't even know why I'm tellin' ye all of this." Perry sighed, shrugging her shoulders. "Oh wait, that's right. Stalling."

Of course, that would explain why she'd made no move to fight. It wasn't that she was confident in her magic, she was confident in Erza's mercy. That if she stood their feeding the Fairy Tail mage information, she wouldn't attack her and then that Theia woman could use Loke to destroy more buildings. And who knew what else would happen once the buildings were gone? She prayed Gray, Happy, and Carla had already found Wendy. Of course, now that the woman had so soon given away her plan Erza contemplated if she was really that stupid or if that was part of the plan as well.

Erza equipped her Flight Armor and the dual knives, dashing towards her opponent. Perry teleported, or at least, she'd been about to when she found a knife at her throat and one poised for her stomach. She hadn't been expecting the scarlet haired woman to get faster.

"You won't kill me." Perry said, although she was afraid to move in fear of her throat being slit or being gutted where she stood.

"No, but I could ask you to help us. There doesn't appear to be anything in this for you, so why help her?" The explosions in the background seemed to have halted, did the others get to Loke before she could? If so, then that meant she had all the time in the world to frighten this woman.

"I s'pose you don't have any siblings do ye, Scarlet?"

"No, but I have friends with whom I'm close enough to consider family." Erza made sure to keep a tight hold on the woman. "It seems that is how you regard this Theia person as well, however, it doesn't appear she sees you in the same light."

"Nonsense! Theia loves me, looks up to me! I'm her big sis." There was some uncertainty in her voice and Erza took advantage of it.

"Are you really? Then why does she treat you like a dog? Like a puppet on a string? She's using you to better her chances at whatever it is she's doing here."

"These people hurt her!"

"And now you would stoop so low as to help her destroy their homes and murder their families? Shouldn't the elder sister be the voice of reason?" Erza didn't wait for Perry to interject, "I believe the only reason you're helping her is for her approval. In truth she despises you, doesn't she? If you were enough would she still be bent on revenge?"

"Theia loves me! I took her in an' cared for her when no one else would! I taught her magic, taught her to read! I gave her a good life." Erza could feel she was close to breaking through to this woman, if only she could find the one thing that would make her crack.

Erza's voice softened. "But did she want that? Is she grateful for what you gave her?"

"O-of course she has-"

"Are you the only person who's ever been kind to her? Surely if what you say is true then she would care for no one else."

That must have been the fuse and Erza lit it, because Perry shoved her away. Somehow she managed to avoid being knicked by any of the knives the armored wizard held. "Ye don't know what the hell ye're talkin' about, Fairy. So stay out of my head!"

"You're the one who let me in. Please, if you help me and show me where her body is we can stop this before anyone gets hurt-"

"Ye won't be getting my help. But I'm sure ye won't need it, now will ye Fairy?"

"At least let us help you."

"You've 'helped' enough." And before Erza could say another word, she vanished.

The Fairy Tail wizard debated going to find Theia's body now that the explosions had stopped completely, but with the information that Theia's magic could only last for a short while longer, she decided it was time to head back and end this now.

* * *

Theia had managed to drag Natsu back out to the center of the village, tossing him next to the rubble that used to be the wolf statue. He noticed she seemed to be growing fatigued, like any task was a strain on her body.

Maybe her magic was starting to run out?

"I've had it with you Fairy Tail wizards, but perhaps if I just get rid of a few of you then I won't have to worry myself anymore, and my plans can continue in peace!"

"I'm afraid that won't be likely." Erza stepped out of the shadows. "Your ally, she seems to have abandoned you, and from the look of it, our friends managed to stop Loke."

"I see you still didn't find my body." Theia grinned. "Did you give up on that?"

She was right, Natsu didn't see Theia's body anywhere. What had stopped Erza from going to get it? And how did they plan on getting the bitch out of Lucy's body now?

"I figured I could reason with you." Erza was unarmed, but she was grinning, like she knew something Natsu didn't. "It's not like you can last much longer anyways. Your plan was meant to be much shorter than this, wasn't it?"

"Of course it was, I didn't expect meddling Fairies to get in the way."

"That's not why it was short. You can only possess someone for as long as your magic will allow it. Otherwise your real body will die, and your conscience with it."

"I don't know where you came up with that far fetched idea!" Theia laughed, but Natsu could see it, he could see how tired she was getting. Erza was on to something.

"Oh, your ally, Perry was it? She informed me of this weakness to your magic. Even more interesting, she told me you lack a great deal of magic power to begin with. Isn't that true?"

Natsu watched Lucy's face contort in anger, Theia was obviously furious. It was obvious how confident she'd been that she hadn't even tried to stop the others from finding her body or from finding Wendy. She had been counting on the town being completely blown up by the time Team Natsu made any progress. She'd truly underestimated them, or rather overestimated her own power. She must have tired herself out even more while she'd tortured Natsu, or at least tried to. His back was really just sore after that, he'd managed to distract her enough that she wasn't flogging him the whole time.

"If it were true, would I need magic to cut out your friend's heart right here?" She grabbed Natsu by his scarf, using what little strength she had to lift him up, about to grab for her knife from her clothes.

"Miss Lucy! What are you doing..!?" Everyone's attention turned to see Wendy, Gray, Happy, and Carla rushing towards the scene. Except it wasn't one of those four who'd spoken. That was when Natsu noticed a small purple haired girl on piggybacking on Gray. Selene.

Theia let go of Natsu's scarf, him dropping to the ground. Her eyes widened in what appeared to be horror. Why horror? "S-Selene… You're supposed to be at the celebration with the other children…" She had almost completely frozen up.

"Miss Lucy why are you hurting Natsu!? W-what's happening to the village?" Gray had set the girl down and she gone to stand behind Wendy, clutching the sky dragon slayer's clothes for protection. Had something happened to them? Natsu looked up at Wendy's face to try and see if the blue haired girl was scared. But she just looked determined.

"It's not Lucy!" Happy called out. "It's Theia!"

"Ma'am Theia..?" Selene looked up at the blonde. "N-no it's can't be- Ma'am Theia wouldn't hurt anyone."

"Are ye so sure girlie?" Perry came up behind the two small girls. This time Wendy jumped away, pulling Selene with her. There was a strange air around the auburn haired woman, her eyes had a venomous look as she stared at Selene.

"Perry leave her alone!" Theia snapped, panic on her face all of a sudden. Was she afraid of Perry being near Selene? Natsu was so confused. What the hell was going on? He noticed that Happy had taken the opportunity to come up behind him and unlock his handcuffs with a makeshift key of ice. He looked up to Gray and gave him a nod in thanks.

"Aw, sis, ye afraid I'll hurt her?" The older woman grinned, there was something in her hands. Theia's knife.

"When did you-" Theia searched frantically for it within her clothes, sure enough it was the same knife.

"Magic~" The teleporter grinned. "Just like ye used your magic to help ye kill the poor 'pup's' mother, I used my magic to help me kill the itty bitty little child."

"Perry don't! Don't you take one step towards that girl! I know you don't like the fact I took in Selene but-"

"It's not just about that sis, it's much more." Then she vanished. Time seemed to stand still for everyone, including Theia.

"Wendy move!" Carla screamed, she knew where the woman planned on popping up next, but the sky dragon slayer didn't have time before she was shoved out of the way by-

Lucy.

Sure enough, Perry appeared in front of Selene. However, as she thrust her knife towards the girl, who stood in shock and terror, the blade made contact with someone else's skin.

* * *

_The blind girl stood in the library, her hands roaming over the book spines. The embossed words popping out the her but she didn't know what they meant. Not yet. But soon. Soon she'd read them all. She'd know every word. She wanted to be smarter than all of those people in her village. No, it wasn't her village, it never was. Her home was anywhere she wanted it to be._

_"Theia, did ye pick one yet?"_

_"W-well I don't exactly know what each one is about! Why are we in a library anyways..? Don't you have books you can teach me from? Then I could use the wolves to read. I can't bring them in here."_

_"I was thinkin' ye'd try using me."_

_Theia turned her head in the direction of Perry's voice. "Do you think I can do it?"_

_"Why not?"_

_"Can I try?" Despite her blind eyes, Theia looked at the older girl pleadingly._

_Perry chuckled, "'Course ye can, sis. I'd never say no to ye."_

_"How many times do I have to tell you I'm not yo-"_

_"Just try it." Perry walked over and held out her hand to the smaller girl, who reached out and after a moment grasped her wrist._

_All of a sudden she was seeing through Perry's eyes. It was different from seeing through a wolf's. For one there were more colors. Not as many sounds and smells though. It was like hearing or smelling with her own ears and nose. Not only that but she was sure she could feel Perry's feelings as well, or rather her thoughts. She couldn't hear them, since they weren't actual sounds. It was more like a feeling. A whisper. A breath._

_"How are you supposed to teach me like this?" Theia was surprised to hear her words come out of Perry's mouth with Perry's voice. She'd never been able to talk with the wolves' so it was kind of startling for her._

_Somehow she could feel Perry saying. _Just pick a book and read silly girl.

_So she did. She picked one with a cherry red leather binding and pretty gold writing on the spine. She didn't know what the words meant yet. _The History and Forming of Guilds.

_That must have been Perry._

_So Theia sat and opened the book, the words making no sense to her but as she felt Perry's thoughts flood her mind with letters and how things should sound or be pronounced. Slowly she pieced things together. She paused for a moment to look at her own body, which appeared to be sleeping on the floor. She wondered what her body must be like without her conscious to fill it._

_"Can I read my magic book like this?"_

_She somehow already knew the answer was yes._

_"To form a guild you must first send in a request to the magic council. If the request is approved you may begin building your headquarters and gathering new members-" Theia read fluently, although it wasn't her voice. She and Perry had come back day after day to read the books lining this library's walls. Weeks, probably at least a month had passed since they started this and she was sure if she tried she could read any book she picked up._

_Theia was getting exhausted though. Possessing Perry's body took a lot of her magic, and she could only do it for short moments at a time. Although she was getting to where she could do it for longer the more she tried. It was still strange to the girl, if she could use Perry's magic while in her body, why did her possession magic still rely on her own weak abilities?_

_She closed the book and set it down on the table, releasing Perry and returning to her own body that sat in the chair next to the older girl. Returning to the black world. Free of colors and words on crisp pages._

_"Done already?" Perry asked. Theia clutched the arm rests on her chair._

_"Why'd you give me this magic?"_

_"What do ye mean, sis? I did it to help-"_

_"I hate this!" Theia yelled, Perry shushed her. They were still in a library. "I hate… I hate having to come back to this weak body. If I never had this magic I would never have known how bland and dark my world was. I don't want this anymore!" Tears streamed from the blind girls eyes._

_"Theia-" Perry sighed, getting up and pulling the girl into an embrace. "I'm sorry if I'd had known-"_

_"It's your fault! Don't touch me!" Theia pushed her away. "If you hadn't been so stupid and given this to me I wouldn't… I wouldn't have to feel like this!"_

_"Hey, hey! Now don't go throwing blame around willy nilly." Perry's voice got a little harsh. "I've been nothin' but good to ye."_

_Theia's anger was starting to boil over. She couldn't stand Perry and her carefree ways, sure she'd helped her, but she'd also reduced her to a miserable life of want. Wanting more than darkness. If Perry had never taken her from the wolves- No… the wolves were worse. She had to constantly fend for herself. But she wouldn't have been with the wolves if it wasn't for…_

_"Take me back to the village I came from."_

_"What?"_

_"I want to go back! It's… it's there fault! If they hadn't treated me like a monster, if they hadn't torn me away from my uncle! I wouldn't be miserable like this." The teenage girl clenched her fists._

_"What are ye planning, kiddo? If it's a family reunion then-"_

_"I told you, my family is dead…" Except for her uncle. Maybe if she went back and showed those people how much she'd changed. How much of a human she was. No, wait. She needed to get smarter before she went back. She wanted to know more than all of those idiots in the village. "On second thought… I'm… I'm tired. Let's go back to the inn."_

_Perry sighed. "Ye're so bi polar sometimes child."_

_Theia waited years. Years. Years full of traveling and learning and socializing. She learned things about her first home that she was sure even the people of the village never knew. She understood why the wolves had taken her in. The animals never forgot. She grew even more hatred for those people. No, they weren't people. They were the real monsters._

_By the time she had decided she was ready she was an adult, a woman. Twenty-two to be exact. With her wolves hidden in the shadows she entered the small village. People were bustling about their daily lives, Everyone here had a darkness to their skin, except for a few who had come from outside of the village to live here. She was sure her mother had been one of them, considering Theia's skin wasn't nearly as dark as some of the people here, and her hair wasn't one of their shades of brown or dark red. This was the first time she'd seen these people with real eyes. She realized they had all stopped to stare at her._

_"It can't be…"_

_A young woman stepped out of the crowd, grabbing Theia's attention. The blind woman recognized her voice. Although she was older sounding there was no doubt about it, she was one of her old tormentors. The girl who'd stood by cheering on the boys as they tried to cut out her eyes._

_"Th-the wolves- They should have- A-all those years ago-" The woman stuttered_

_"The wolves spared me, they saw some potential in me that the elders overlooked." Theia grinned. "In my absence I have trained myself, and I have come with a grave warning."_

_One of the other villagers stepped out. "Why should we listen to you, monster!?" It was a man, he also sounded familiar, but it would be harder to tell who the boys were now that their voices had changed with age._

_"Where is my uncle?" Theia scowled at him._

_"Dead, child." An elder woman stepped forward. "He died two months ago."_

_She was too late._

_"Then it is exactly as I feared. The wolves are going to turn on you."_

_"MAMA!" A small girl screamed, turning Theia's attention away from the body before her. Mama?_

_That was when she realized, she'd let the wolf's feral instincts take over. She'd… She'd… No it wasn't the wolf's fault. She'd done this on her own. She'd been filled with such rage at this woman for hurting her in her childhood that she'd…_

_Another scream, people began to flood the home and chased her out with weapons. She barely made it out alive. Well, she did. The wolf… The wolf was dying for sure._

_Just like the woman she'd just attacked._

_"Your name is Selene?" Theia crouched down before the girl with dark purple hair and tan skin, it was lighter than everyone else's though and covered in freckles. Her father must have been an outsider. No wonder he'd abandoned her and her mother._

_Her mother._

_Theia had killed her mother._

_The child stayed silent. Obviously scarred from seeing her mother's dead body. She'd been the first to see Theia tearing apart her mother's body. The blind woman had never suspected that her old tormentor would have a child. None of the others did._

_"How old are you?"_

_The girl sniffled, "Six."_

_"You're going to be staying with me now, the villagers think it's best." Those idiots didn't know how wrong they were. They were always wrong about everything. They'd even come to worship her in their own stupidity after she "predicted" every wolf attack. She hadn't predicted a murder though. Strangely, she didn't feel like she'd done anything wrong. The only thing tugging at her conscience was this orphaned girl._

_"Are you hungry? I can make you something?" Actually she'd probably ask Perry to secretly cook something, Theia was an awful cook._

_The child shook her head, toying with the beads around her neck._

_"Those are really pretty. Did you make that yourself?"_

_That seemed to perk up the girl's attention, she nodded. "M-mhm… H-how can you…"_

_"See them? Well, I'll let you in on a little secret pup. I have magic that lets me see."_

_"R-really!?" At the mention of magic her eyes widened with wonder. "Mama said that papa was a wizard… that's why he left."_

_"I won't leave you pup."_

_"Someone else used to call me that…" Selene wiped her eyes. "An old man… he passed away last year, Mama said. That's why I don't see him anymore."_

_"Oh? Why'd he call you that?" Theia tilted her head curiously, a habit she'd picked up from the wolves._

_"He said I reminded him of his niece… before she died."_

_There was a pang in Theia's chest. Hadn't they told her that her uncle died last year? Did he… did he die thinking the wolves had killed her? He must have seen this girl as some sort of replacement._

_"Ma'am Theia…" The child interrupted her thoughts. "Why do so many people die..? Why did… Why did the wolf…"_

_"Shh, shh." Theia brushed her fingers through the girl's hair. "I wish I knew pup." She pulled the child into a warm embrace. Something about this child, she really did remind her of herself. "I wish I knew…"_

_She would never let anyone hurt this child. Never._

_Not even herself._

* * *

"LUCY!" Natsu's eyes widened in horror as he watched the knife sink into the soft flesh of her stomach. He wasn't sure if it was Theia or Lucy who had yelped in pain, falling to her knees.

"P-Perry… I knew I should have let you go…" Theia glared at the older woman.

"Ye forget sis, if it weren't for me ye wouldn't have this power. I did it for ye, I helped ye because cared about ye. More than ye ever did for me."

"Why… why would you try to hurt Selene?"

"Because she was the only thing that mattered to ye more than killin' other people. You better get back to yer own body sis, if you don't want to die with the girl." Perry pulled out the knife and Theia gasped. Dark red blood quickly began to stain Lucy's clothes. Natsu was full of rage. Hot, burning rage.

"I think you better worry about yourself first. Sis." Theia smirked, then Lucy's body went limp, sprawled out on the ground.

"W-what..? I-" Perry had the wind knocked out of her as Natsu landed a punch right in the middle of her back. She fell forwards, coughing and pushing herself back up.

"How… how dare you…"

"L-look I'm sorry I never meant to hurt the girl-"

"YOU KNEW LUCY WAS IN THERE!" He picked Perry up by the collar, eyes filled with fire as he glared at her. The woman's face filled with fear, fear for her life. "If… IF SHE DIES!"

"Natsu calm down!" Erza was yelling, Wendy had already dashed to Lucy's side to try and heal her. Gray covered her wound with ice in hopes of stopping the bleeding, but the ice only started to turn red.

Selene–who'd been dead silent and frozen in shock since she was nearly murdered–slowly crawled over to Lucy's body. "I-Is miss Lucy going to… is she gonna die like my mama..?"

"No! N-not if I can help it!" Wendy had a look of pure determination on her face. "The knife… it… it cut deep but I can do this!"

"Wendy you've never healed anything this bad before! She's already lost so much blood and you just said the wound-"

"Do you want her to die Carla!?" Wendy had tears streaming down her face but her determination didn't falter. She was going to save Lucy! She was going to keep her alive!

"I… no you know that… I just… I don't want you to hurt yourself too." Carla looked away.

"L-Lucy…" Happy's eyes filled with tears.

Natsu grit his teeth, still holding tightly to Perry's collar. "Get out of here."

"W-what..?" She looked at him with wide eyes. "Shouldn't ye turn me over to the magic council?"

"I said get out of here!" He threw her on the ground, she stared up at him with surprise. "Get out of here now, because if Lucy dies… It will be your fault, and I…"

"Natsu." Erza put a hand on his shoulder, squeezing in a calming manner. "She won't die."

"BUT WHAT IF SHE DOES!?" He snapped, startling Erza even. "What if she does die!?"

Perry stood up slowly, "I'll go. Theia is probably awake now but she can't get away on her own. I know where her body is. I can bring her to-"

"No. Let her go too."

"Natsu! We can't just let these people go! Especially not that Theia person!" Gray stood up.

"Ma'am Theia… is it true she…" Everyone looked at Selene who's voice wavered on tears. "She killed my mama?"

Perry stood there, "She did."

"But she just saved me…"

"Look, kid, Theia ain't the kind of person ye think she is. She used to wolves to attack all of those people, including yer mother. But those people hurt her in the past."

Selene covered her ears and shut her eyes tight. "I don't want it to be true! It's not true! M-ma'am Theia is so kind- she took care of me!"

"It's true pup." Natsu had smelled the wolves before anyone else had heard Theia speak. The blind woman came walking up, a single gray wolf walking close beside her as her eyes. She had no need to hide them anymore.

"W-why..? Why would you..?"

"Your mother was a cruel child who liked to beat little blind girls for fun. She and two other boys are the reason I have this scar on my face. But I never meant to involve you." Theia took a step closer to Selene, wolf close at her side. "I know you're too young to understand why I-"

"S-STAY AWAY FROM ME!" Selene backed up, seeing the wolf terrified her, knowing Theia was her mother's murderer… "D-don't hurt me!"

The hurt on Theia's face was as plain as day, the wolf whimpered. "I see. It's no use explaining. Fairies, I can't fight you like this, I'm afraid it seems you'll be escorting me off to prison."

"You'll hand yourself over, just like that?" Erza questioned.

Theia grinned, the wolf glanced at Selene. "I have nothing else for me here now it seems. And this body can't do anything on its own."

"Very well. You-" Erza pointed to Perry. "Take her."

"Why? Aren't you afraid I'll let her escape!?"

"I highly doubt that after the show you put on, resulting in my friends critical injury." Erza glared slightly, but it was still enough to put the fear of god in any grown man's heart. "Go, now. Before I take care of you both myself. We'll look after the girl." Perry nodded, trembling slightly where she stood.

"It's a good thing I got that girl instead of you."

"I never would have let you in my mind in the first place. Now leave."

Theia nodded. "Per-"

"I know how to use my own damn magic." She grabbed Theia's arm, and just like that, they were gone.

"Wendy…" Carla put a paw on the girl's arm. "I-It's not working…"

"It has to work!" Wendy refused to give up.

Gray replaced the blood red ice with new ice but she was still losing more blood than Wendy could heal her. At this rate she was going to die.

Natsu grit his teeth. He remembered the last time he watched Lucy die. He didn't want to see that again. It had torn him to pieces inside when he watched her future self pass away, thank god present Lucy had still been there. Thank god he still had one of her. But if this kept up he wouldn't have any Lucy's and he wouldn't know what to do with himself. Who would he go on jobs with? Erza? Gray? Wendy? Maybe, but then where would he go when he was bored? He couldn't believe he'd actually miss getting punched in the face for walking into her bathroom while she was naked. He loved the way her apartment smelled and the scent of her shampoo that was left behind on her pillow after she took a shower in the evening. He could already imagine those smells slowly fading away as Lucy wouldn't be there anymore to replenish them with her presence. He remembered the way she'd looked in that red dress. His mind flashed back to the day she came running up to him, showing off her guild mark. Her first day as a Fairy Tail wizard. _"Natsu! Look! She gave me the mark of Fairy Tail."_ The happiness on her face. Her smile.

He didn't want to live without it. He couldn't.

He loved her too much.

"Natsu… Gray's ice isn't working, you're going to have to cauterize the wound." Wendy spoke up.

"Cauter-what..?" He blinked out of his daze, Erza and Gray were looking at him funny. He realized it was because he'd been crying a little.

"Burn it so that it'll stop the bleeding, idiot." Gray muttered. "If she keeps bleeding Wendy won't be able to heal her."

He clenched his fists. Determined to keep her alive. "Alright."

"Don't make it a full blown fire! J-just enough to stop the bleeding! We don't want to hurt her worse than she already is…" Wendy instructed, sweat dripping down her brow.

"Got it." He knelt down next to her.

"Be ready because once I remove the ice-"

"Yeah yeah, I know droopy eyes!" Natsu was trying to be as calm about this as possible by acting like nothing was wrong. Gray understood this.

"Whatever you say, squinty eyes." He quickly removed the ice. Sure enough her wound began to bleed even worse. A little flame sprouted in Natsu's hand and he carefully held it to her stomach. He furrowed his brows as he felt her blood on his palm. But sure enough the small fire was burning the wound just enough to stop her bleeding. He'd extinguished the fire but he didn't move his palm.

Erza frowned. "Natsu, we need to get her to a doctor fast."

Wendy shook her head. "If we try to move her now the wound could start to bleed again. We need to have her conscious before we try anything. We…" The girl paused, "We need to make sure she'll live through the trip."

Selene walked over and stood by Natsu. "Natsu… is miss Lucy…"

"No! No kiddo, she'll be fine! She's just sleeping see!" He tried to smile, but even for him it was hard.

Wendy's magic faltered for a moment and everyone's hearts skipped a beat.

"Wendy you need to take a break.. You'll overwork yourself!" The white Exceed insisted.

"I-if I don't do this now… Sh-she could… I don't…" Wendy grit her teeth. "I don't want to lose Lucy because I wasn't strong enough to save her…"

"Wendy…"

Everyone was on the brink of tears or already crying. Natsu couldn't take this, watching her fade away in front of his eyes. Lucy was so pale.

He pulled her into his arms, cradling her in his lap.

"N-Natsu what are you doing..?" Wendy looked up at him.

"Nothing… just keep working…"

Everyone stared at him but no one said a word. They all knew. They all knew before he knew what his own feelings were. All three of them had gone on jobs with Lucy prior to this, surely they'd been privy to her thoughts and why she was avoiding them.

"That wolf woman, Theia… She tried to trick me by pretending she was Lucy and saying she loved me. But did Lucy–the real Lucy–did she- does she-?"

Erza spoke up, putting a hand on Natsu's shoulder. "We all swore to her we'd never tell, but I think this is probably the time where that doesn't matter anymore."

"Yeah, she loves you. Have you ever seen her diary? Er, the letters she writes to her mother." Gray said, scratching the back of his neck.

"No, I couldn't find it."

"You have her bag don't you?"

That was right. He'd picked it up and taken it with him when she was kidnapped. It was sitting there only a few feet away from him. But he didn't want to let Lucy go. Happy seemed to understand this and went to the bag, fetching her diary from it.

He realized his hand was still covered in her blood, but that didn't matter right now, he needed to know what she'd written in her diary. He grabbed the book and flipped through the pages. He stopped on one dated very recently. It was the day before their modeling job. His eyes skimmed over the page, picking up key words. _"I'm pretty sure I love Natsu." "I can tell he doesn't feel the same way though," "I'm glad Natsu is my friend, it's better than nothing." "This is good enough, isn't it Mom?"_

His hands trembled. His hair that were usually pushed back out of his face had fallen to cover his eyes. Natsu could feel the tears threatening to spill over as he grit his teeth. She was dying in his arms, dying thinking he didn't love her.

He threw the diary to the side, pressing his forehead to hers. "Well guess what Luce, it isn't good enough. Maybe I am as dumb as people say, but I sure as hell know you shouldn't settle for less. And guess what? I do love you. So who's the idiot now?"

No one said anything, they just stayed there in silence. Erza had taken hold of Happy at some point, who was still bawling. Gray looked away to hide the tears he couldn't hold back. "You hear me, Luce? Don't die! I love you so you can't die!" His voice wavered, on the verge of tears.

He couldn't lose her. If she died, so did a part of him.

* * *

It was dark... but it was warm, like the sun was beating down on her skin. She was laying on her side in what felt like soft grass. It tickled her exposed skin and brushed over her cheek like a mother's loving touch. Slowly Lucy opened her eyes, taking in the view of the world around her from the ground. It wasn't nearly as disorienting as seeing the world upside down, but it was strange nonetheless. Something felt familiar about this place. As she sat up she realized why. It was familiar because this was where Natsu had been napping that day. It was the same grassy field and the same warm breeze, she wasn't wearing the same clothes though. She wore a light flowy dress, it almost looked like it was made of pure white light. It reminded her of Sting's magic. Something else was wrong too, Natsu wasn't here.

_"LUCY!"_ it came flooding back to her in a rush. Natsu's scream. The knife being shoved into her stomach. Theia's magic that had pierced her every muscle, nerve, and bone being forced out as her body filled with numbing agony. "Was it... just a dream?"

"I'm afraid not." That voice... She hadn't heard it in seven, no eight- she didn't even remember how many years anymore. Everything seemed to freeze or move in slow motion as her eyes adjusted to the person in front of her. A face just like hers, but older and much more elegant.

"M-Mom..?" Everything began to spin, was it really her? _No way... she's dead... been dead... for years..._

"Shh." Lucy had felt like she was gonna faint, she began to fall backwards but her head was cushioned by something. Something warm and familiar. Fingers lovingly stroked her hair. Looking up she saw her mother's face, no different than when she had been alive and well. Lucy realized her head was resting on her mother's lap.

"How are you here..?" She looked up at her, bewildered. Then she remembered the dream and her mother telling her it hadn't been a dream. "I'm dead... aren't I?"

Layla smiled softly and shook her head. "Not quite." That couldn't be right though. She knew there was no way anyone could live through something like that. "Your friend Wendy is a strong girl, keeping you alive despite the strain it takes on her magic."

_Wendy..._ She imagined the small girl kneeling over her body, tears streaming from her usually cheery brown eyes as she desperately tried to heal Lucy's broken body. The others were probably telling her to give up, that it was too late, but Wendy had hope. "What does that mean for me? Am I going to die or wake up?"

"That's up to you." Her mom continued to brush her fingers through Lucy's hair, allowing her the comfort and security she needed to wrap her head around everything. "You can choose to move on or to live on."

"What happens to you if I wake up?"

"I'll go back to that place and be with your father."

"Dad is here?!" She nearly sat back up but her mom shushed her and laid her back down.

"He's in that place." It was such a general description but Lucy knew exactly where that place was.

"Heaven?"

Her mom smiled with kind amusement. "As some call it."

"Then... if I stay... I'll go live in heaven with you and dad." Layla's smile vanished.

"Yes. But if you wake up, you'll be with your friends." she added. Lucy frowned this time, remembering that the whole reason she had this choice was because Wendy was keeping her alive, risking her own life to do so.

Even though it was Lucy's fault they had been in that mess.

This was how it had always been, Lucy being protected or saved by her friends and guildmates. She was always being kidnapped or injured or something and it caused her friends problems. Natsu most of all.

"You saved them though. You're not a burden on them, Lucy." Layla's voice said as if reading her mind again. "That boy, Natsu, and all of your friends, they would never see you as a burden. You've been helpful to them many times and you know that."

"But if I stay here- I mean move on, I'll be able to spend eternity with you and dad."

"Lucy..."

"If I wake up though I'll get to live my life, although..." She thought of her unrequited feelings for Natsu. Her mother smiled as if reading her thoughts again, but she didn't say anything just yet.

"Mom... I... I don't know what to choose."

* * *

**A/N: I am really beating myself up about the fact that I didn't update on Friday like I have for the past 7 chapters, even though it was only a day late. The reason why was halfway through the chapter I ended up getting writer's block and I was afraid the torture scene really sucked so I gave it to my best friend Josie to look over and give me her advice. I mean, in the end at least it got updated THIS week and not NEXT week, or even next month. Still, I'm mad at myself because I was doing so well with updates until now. Well, once again, please leave a review telling me what you think! I truly do enjoy reading every single one of them. Like my face gets all smiley and I start to jump up and down excitedly when I get an email saying "New Review on such-and-such fic" it's really ridiculous, you guys should see my reactions.**


	9. I'll be Here to Hold Your Hand

_Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail_

* * *

_IX - I'll be Here to Hold Your Hand_

* * *

"Mom… I… I don't know what to choose."

"I know, sweet girl." Layla's fingers brushed against Lucy's cheek. "I know."

"I… I don't want to leave my friends behind, that's true. But…" But it had been so long since she'd felt her mother's touch. So long since she heard her voice. It was so soothing and comforting and so familiar. Being here, being with her mother, it made her think that maybe her time had finally come. Maybe it was okay to die.

But then somewhere in the back of her mind she could imagine her friends' tears, all of Fairy Tail mourning her loss. Even if she wouldn't be there to witness her funeral, she could see Levy's tear stained cheeks. Wendy would never forgive herself for Lucy dying on her watch. Gray would lose yet another important person to him. Erza would feel like she failed to protect her. Mirajane would blame herself for the whole mess in the first place, considering she's the one who sent Natsu and Lucy on the job. And Natsu…

For some reason she pictured him the most heartbroken of them all. Kneeling at her grave and cursing her for giving up as the tears flowed down his face. Gray or Erza would try to pull him away but he'd never let them take him. _"LUCY I KNOW YOU CAN HERE ME!"_ He'd scream,_ "Do you think your parents would want this!?"_ He'd point at her parents' graves beside her own. _"Do you think we wanted this!? Fairy Tail needs you Luce! You can't leave us!"_ Finally their friends would manage to drag him away, but not without a scene.

"That boy loves you."

Lucy turned her head to the side as the image of her funeral faded, looking away from her mother. "Only as family…"

"Lucy, there is only one kind of love, it's just bigger or smaller. Loving someone as family is still the same love as loving a friend, one just feels bigger. The same goes for the love between two people, a couple. It's the same love as a family, but it's so big that it feels like all the loves made into one. You can still love someone as your family but also feel that romantic love. Sometimes they go hand in hand. Natsu, he hasn't yet realized how big his love for you is, and that it encompasses all of the loves in one. You too Lucy."

"M-me?"

Layla nodded. "You haven't realized that you love Natsu all the ways. As a friend, as family, and as a lover… Your love for each other is just so vast that you can only see one at a time right now, it takes practice and time for you to see them all at once."

"Is… is that what it was like for you and dad?" Lucy was somewhat hesitant to further breach the topic of her father. Her mother laughed lightly.

"Your father was almost as oblivious as that dragon slayer of yours at one point. But yes, that's what our love was like."

"That's kind of hard to believe…" Lucy laughed a little, trying not to frown but it was obvious Layla knew what she was thinking.

"Your dad didn't come because he didn't want to see you, not yet."

"W-why..?" Lucy felt like it was the past all over again but her mother soothingly cupped her cheek, smiling.

"He wants you to live your future before you see each other again. He regrets how he acted in the past, but he would never trade your future just to make up for those regrets." Layla paused, closing her eyes, "I wouldn't either. It's not my choice it's yours, but if it was mine... I would wake you up."

Lucy's eyes watered, tears beginning to spill over the corners and rolling down the sides of her face and over her ears.

"Shhhh…" Layla wiped the tears away from her daughter's eyes, "It's alright. Someday you'll understand." She cupped Lucy's face with her hands. "You'll have children too eventually, and their lives will matter more than anything else in this world. You'll do anything to protect them, to keep them alive, even if it means you'll never see them again."

"W-what if I don't want kids?" Lucy laughed a little through her tears, that was probably the funniest joke she'll ever tell. Of course she wanted kids. She wanted to live and get married and have a family and be with her friends. She wanted to see Natsu's cocky grin every day. Plus she still had a novel to finish. There were so many things she wanted to live for. She just didn't want this to be the last time she saw her mother's face.

But she made her choice.

"I'll miss you…"

"You don't have to. Your father and I both are always with you, in your heart, watching over you."

"M-mom…" Lucy sniffled, she could see tears in her mother's eyes too. "I love you…"

Her mother leaned down, pressing a kiss to her daughter's forehead. "I love you too, my Lucky Lucy." Her mother's echoed as Lucy closed her eyes. Slowly, the voice began to change, become more frantic, the words were rearranged and molded.

"You hear me, Luce? I love you so you can't die!" _Natsu..?_ "Please don't die…"

Lucy's sobs turned into gasps for air. Her eyes weakly opened to the scene before her.

Wendy was hunched over beside her, looking pale and worn out, but she could feel the small girl's healing magic seeping into her tattered body. Happy was bawling his eyes out as Erza squeezed him like a lifeline. Carla, was screaming for Wendy to stop, that Lucy was awake. Selene sat beside her, looking terrified. Gray's face showed the relief and shock and tears that she couldn't remember seeing before. And Natsu… She was laying in his lap, no, he was cradling her. Clinging to her body for dear life, but his hold was gentle enough that she didn't feel crushed. His forehead was pressed to hers and his words still rang in her ears, _"I love you so you can't die!"_

"Na…tsu…"

She heard his breath catch in his throat when she spoke his name, something warm and wet fell on her cheek. _He's crying?_ She was sure if she had the strength she'd cry too. She'd throw her arms around his neck, holding him so tight he wouldn't be able to move, and cry. She'd cry over the fact she was alive, she'd tell him how much she loves him too, how she's so sorry for the things she said and how she acted. But she couldn't do that, her body was weak and there was a pain in her stomach where she'd been stabbed. So she settled for Natsu's tears that dripped onto her cheek as he held her.

"I… I didn't a-ask for… a bath… N-Natsu…"

He choked out a laugh, his hold on her tightening a bit but releasing when she winced in pain. "Sorry, y-you looked like ya needed one, L-Luce…" He didn't bother to wipe his eyes or stop crying for that matter, in fact it didn't seem like he was going to let her go any time soon.

Erza cleared her throat, wiping her own eyes free of tears. "A-alright! W-well now that Lucy is awake we should get her properly treated! Happy, Carla, fly ahead and fetch Porlyusica!" Erza was quickly back in leader mode, but her eyes were still red from crying.

"A-aye!" Happy wiped his eyes, in fact everyone seemed to have been crying. _"You're not a burden on them, Lucy."_ Her mother's words echoed in her head once more.

As the two Exceeds took off Erza turned her attention to the next smallest member of the team. "Wendy, will she be alright if you take a break?"

"I…" The girl seemed reluctant to so much as ease up on her healing magic, but slowly she lowered her hands, her head drooping with exhaustion. Lucy could really feel the pain now that Wendy's magic was no longer flowing through her, but she knew the sky dragon slayer could only hold out for so long. "I-I think she'll be okay for a little while… So long as she's conscious…"

Erza looked back to Natsu, her eyes glancing at his back for a moment. "Can you carry Lucy?"

"Of course I can carry her!" He scoffed, making sure to gently wrap one arm under her knees and keep the other behind her back, lifting her up slowly. It hurt. Oh god it hurt, but she was too exhausted to complain about the pain, instead letting her head lull against his chest. His heart beat was frantic and loud.

Gray offered to carry Wendy on his back since she was so tired, the girl protested at first, until Erza insisted so she could have her rest.

"Thank you… Wendy…" Lucy managed to choke out, earning a teary eyed smile from the girl as Gray lifted her onto his back.

"Y-you're welcome. What are friends for?"

"You gotta stay awake now, L-Luce okay?" Natsu's voice was low and still wavering from crying, but his tears had dried. He was trying to be strong for her. "Until we get back to the guild so the old lady can fix you up."

"Okay…" She forced a weak smile, but she didn't know if she'd be able to stay awake for the whole journey back. She wasn't exactly sure how far the village was from Magnolia. She'd been unconscious coming her in the first place.

"Hey, what are we gonna do about the houses? The villagers could be back any minute!" Gray piped up.

"Once we get Lucy back to the guild we'll get someone to come out here for damage control. We don't have time to worry about that right now though, Lucy's life is top priority."

"I know that!" Gray huffed.

"We have a carriage outside of the village, Lucy, don't worry we'll have you back in no time." Erza assured before turning and saying something quiet to Selene. Lucy felt her prince charming shiver a little.

"Crap…" He muttered under his breath. She felt a small smile creep onto her lips as he carried her towards said carriage. Normally he'd probably volunteer to walk, but she had a feeling he didn't plan on leaving her side. Even if motion sickness was involved.

She managed to stay conscious long enough for them to get her into the carriage, her head resting in Natsu's lap. His face was already turning green but he seemed to be trying to keep his composure. Wendy and Gray sat across from them.

"Thanks… guys…" She muttered, before her eyes slowly started to drift close. She heard Wendy hop up, and the calming feeling that her healing magic brought.

"Come on Lucy stay awake!" Gray called out, but that was the last thing she heard before the world went dark again.

Except this time she didn't see her mother.

* * *

Hunger was extremely painful right now. Painful enough to wake her up from her deep sleep. As she slowly became more aware of the world around her, she realized she was laying comfortably in her own bed with the covers tucked around her. She felt the tight bandage wrapped around her middle and a slight tug at her stitches when she would breathe. There was something else she felt too, her right hand was warm. Slowly turning her head, eyes barely open, she saw what made it so warm. There was another hand holding hers. It belong to a boy with fluffy pink hair whose head lay on his arm as he snored. His butt firmly situated in a chair from her table that he must have dragged over to her bedside. It was strange to see him so unscathed after something like this, she wondered if his back was alright.

Her hand squeezed his gently, but it was enough to make him shoot up awake. Funny, considering usually she could never get the idiot to wake up when she wanted him to.

"Lucy!" He looked at her worriedly but relaxed when she smiled at him.

"Good morning, Natsu…"

"Heh… uh yeah, mornin' Luce." He coughed and cleared his throat, he almost pulled his hand away but she held it a little tighter.

"Are you the only one here..?"

"Well, Erza and Wendy were here but they left to grab some food from the guild, since apparently you have none here. I don't know how long they've been gone now, but they should be back soon-"

"You weren't hungry too?" She tried to sit up but she winced at the pain and decided against it.

He scratched the back of his head, looking to the side. "Um, well… Actually I'm starving…"

Lucy's eyes widened a little, he'd foregone food in order to stay by her side? What kind of world had she woken up to?

He cleared his throat. He was acting so awkward, it was kind of adorable. "You've been asleep for a long time, Luce, you should probably be hungry too…"

"That's… actually why I woke up…" She remembered the pain in her stomach that was thanks to her hunger. "It's… hunger isn't actually a pleasant feeling right now."

He jumped up, "I'll go see if there's something in your kitchen!"

She watched him scurry off. Hadn't he just said there was no food here? She was pretty sure herself she hadn't gone grocery shopping before leaving for that "job", but… Was he avoiding her? The way he'd been acting so awkward almost made it seem that way. Was there another reason behind it?

He wasn't gone long before he returned with a stale muffin. At least she assumed it was stale. She'd baked them the day before she left which meant it should still be good, but she didn't know how long she'd been unconscious for. "Is this good enough?"

Her stomach twisted with hunger, answering that question for her. "Yes. Thank you, Natsu."

He handed her the muffin. She carefully took a bite. Okay it wasn't fresh but at least it wasn't stale. So she'd not been asleep for too long. She watched as he stared at the muffin, obviously hungry. "Natsu… there should be more in there I didn't just bake one muffin-"

"That's the last one." He coughed, eyes shifting to the floor. "I may have already eaten the others, okay?"

She couldn't help it. She laughed. It was a little painful thanks to her injury but she couldn't stop. He glared at her a bit but it was the kind of glare that said _I wish I could be mad at you but who are we kidding?_

Then it occurred to her. "When did you eat them?"

"When we brought you here yesterday morning."

So he'd eaten every single muffin but one, and not touched it the entire time even when he was starving. He'd even said there was no food in her house, which was why the others had left. Had he… had be been saving this muffin for when she woke up?

That made her feel warm inside. She broke off the bottom half of the muffin and handed it to him. He looked at it for a second. "Just eat it, dummy." He grumbled a thanks before snatching the muffin bottom and taking a grumpy bite. She giggled.

After he'd finished it, which wasn't a very long time, he coughed. "Hey Luce… About…" He scrunched up his face a little, "About when you woke up… you know after the whole getting stabbed in the stomach. How much… how long had you…"

"How long had I been awake?" Now it made sense, he was wondering if she'd heard him confess his feelings. That's why he was acting so awkward. Of course, Lucy, you idiot!

"Natsu…"

"Y-yeah..?"

"I… I love you too." Oh god. It felt like the world's heaviest weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. Not only the fact she'd finally, by herself, told him how she felt, but because she added "too" at the end. Her feelings were not one sided. He loved her and she loved him too.

Natsu let out a huge breath, like he'd been holding it since he first said those words. "Heh… so you did hear. Well, guess that's that."

"That's that."

He cleared his throat. "So uh… what now..?"

In her hopeless romantic mind this is the part where she'd always imagined that he'd kiss her or sweep her off her feet or something prince charming, even knowing that wasn't really the way Natsu acted. But she wasn't really sure she wanted him to do things like that anyways. Natsu? Prince charming? Really trying to picture that was strange. She'd settle for cheesy hugs and him messing up her hair by giving her a noogie, maybe she'd kiss him on the cheek.

Of course as she thought about this she hadn't notice him get closer, his chair somehow moving several inches closer to where her head was laying. She didn't notice until she realized his face was getting closer to hers.

"N-Natsu..?"

His face was pure concentration with a blush dusting his cheeks. She blushed as well. _Is he really going to kiss me?_ She gulped, slowly closing her eyes, waiting for their lips to meet.

"Natsu we're back!" Wendy called out softly, obviously unaware that Lucy was now awake. Of course her soft voice was enough to startle Natsu and Lucy both, he moved away from her so fast he fell backwards in his chair. Erza poked her head through the door.

"What on Earthland are you doing, Natsu, you'll wake-"

"H-hey guys…" Lucy sheepishly waved from the bed, her face was burning red. They hadn't kissed but… but they had been so close.

"Lucy! You're awake!" Erza's eyes widened a little.

Natsu pushed himself up off the floor, grumbling to himself. Lucy smiled at him then looked back at the other two. "Heh… Yeah it seems so. How long was I asleep?"

"Almost three days." Wendy said, walking over to where Lucy laid in bed, "How do you feel?"

"Three days..?" She blinked, no wonder she was so hungry.

"We didn't know if you would be waking up anytime soon but Mirajane wanted us to bring this back for you." Erza held up a large brown paper bag. Lucy assumed it was full of food. The fact Natsu's mouth practically watered confirmed it for her.

"Thank you so much guys. I'm starving."

* * *

"Thank you guys, you really didn't have to take care of me like this." With Erza's help, Lucy had been able to sit up comfortably in bed. Wendy came out from the kitchen with a freshly made sandwich on a plate. Natsu stared at it hungrily, lips making a pout.

"We want to. And you're not exactly fit to walk around right now." Wendy laughed a little uneasily.

"That's… a good point…" Lucy sighed, how long was she going to have to stay in bed?

"Don't worry! We'll take care of everything that needs to be done while you recover!" The blue haired girl said, trying to cheer up the blonde.

"Eheh, thanks guys. Really I feel like I owe you more than you owe me." Lucy scratched the back of her head.

Erza shook her head. "Nonsense."

"You saved us." Wendy smiled a bit, "Well, me at least. Natsu told me."

"I… I did..?" She looked at him and he looked away.

"You pushed me out of the way when that Perry woman tried to kill Selene."

_I did? When did I..?_ Lucy's memory was so hazy from when she was under Theia's control. She knew she'd been able to think while Theia was in her body, but she was pretty sure she hadn't been able to make herself move.

But was it possible that she'd willed Theia to push Wendy out of the way?

"The way you looked when you did it." Everyone looked at Natsu. "It looked like the real you, not Theia in your body." He shrugged. "I just figured you got control for a minute."

_"You saved them though. You're not a burden on them, Lucy."_ Is that what her mom had meant when she said she saved them? Had she really gotten control of herself long enough to save Wendy?

"It's a nice thought." Lucy smiled, "I'd like to think it's true. I mean… I could hear her every thought, maybe she heard mine? I… I honestly don't remember much from the whole experience." She looked down. "I just… I seem to be able to remember all the bad things… Like-" She clenched her fists. "Hurting you Natsu, letting Loke blow up those homes, and letting Wendy get kidnapped too-"

"Don't you dare blame yourself for that." Natsu's voice was almost harsh and startled her a bit as she looked up. "You didn't do any of those things. That was all Theia."

"But it was my fault for-"

Erza interrupted her. "Whatever reasons you had for agreeing to let her use your body don't matter now. It's all taken care of. We even got word from the Magic Council that Theia is locked up in prison now. No one has to worry about her anymore."

"And I'm alright too, Lucy. I wasn't even trapped for long." Wendy scratched her cheek, laughing a bit. "It… actually wasn't really hard to get free."

Lucy sighed, looking at her sandwich, finally taking a bite from it.

"How did you get free anyways? I was wondering that." Erza sat down at the table. Natsu's stomach growled and pouted even more. "You know you can go make yourself a sandwich too, Natsu..?" It was like he'd been waiting for permission, he bolted off to the kitchen. How odd. Lucy thought.

Wendy took a seat on the sofa, putting a finger to her lips. "Well, I suppose it helped that Selene found me. Apparently the celebration the village was having had moved to the neighboring town, and Selene had been on her way there when she heard the commotion from the village. I suppose that was about the time that Loke started to destroy buildings.

"We talked for a little bit and she told me about Theia's magic as we tried to think of how to get me free. I thought I heard someone outside so I asked her to go check and it turned out to be Happy flying around. He quickly fetched Carla and Gray to come help."

"That reminds me, where are they? Happy and Carla?" Lucy asked.

"They're back at the guild with Panther Lily." Erza said.

"Oh." She turned back to Wendy. "Sorry for interrupted, please continue."

"It's alright! Hmm… what happened next? Oh! So Gray managed to fashion a key out of ice to unlock my handcuffs. The explosions were getting closer and Selene was getting frightened. So we decided that it would be a good idea to find and stop Loke before anymore damage was done.

"The explosions didn't make it hard to find him. He was confused at when we told him that it wasn't really you who'd summoned him. Of course insisting that it was impossible for anyone else to use his key. Fortunately since Selene had told me about Theia's magic I was able to explain it to him. He apologized for being tricked and said he'd go back and warn the other spirits before Theia had a chance to summon them, then forced his gate closed by himself."

"So that's explains why he stopped." Erza sat back, crossing her arms. "It really was an easier battle than you'd think, considering Lucy's injuries."

"That's because we weren't counting on Perry to try and murder Selene." Wendy added.

"Why… Why did she do that..?" Lucy asked.

Erza's brows furrowed, "I fear that may have been my fault. I think I went to far when stalling her and hit an emotional nerve. It seemed she had some negative feelings towards Selene, possibly because Theia appeared to care more for the child than for her so called sister."

"That's terrible…" Wendy frowned.

There was a knock on the door, but before anyone could get up it opened, Gray waltzing on in without invitation. Lucy sighed. It seemed like they would always barge in on their own terms. Of course, she might miss it if they stopped. Except… he wasn't alone.

"Oh! Gray I was just talking about you a moment ago." Wendy said, scooting over on the sofa to make room. "How is the village doing?"

He scratched the back of his head. "Well things could be better, a good chunk of the homes were destroyed. But most people are just thankful no one was there. A lot of 'em weren't surprised Theia was the one who did it all." He looked up, noticing Lucy sitting up in her bed. "Lucy! Hey, kid, look she's fine see?"

That was when the purple haired girl stepped out from behind him, but still held on tightly to his pants leg. "Miss Lucy?"

"Selene!" Lucy smiled, happy to see the girl was alright. Well, mostly. She still seemed like she was in a state of shock. Gray either didn't notice this or didn't care as he walked into the apartment, leaving the poor girl at the door. She quickly followed after, but paused in front of the sofa, not sure if she should sit down. "You can come sit on the bed with me if you want." Lucy offered.

The girl seemed to relax, "Are you sure?"

"Of course, come on, it's lonely over here." Lucy pat a spot on top of her comforter. Selene scurried over and climbed onto the bed, sitting close to celestial spirit wizard.

Natsu finally returned from the kitchen, his mouth stuffed with one sandwich and two others in his each of his hands. "Oh froopy eyesh ish 'ack."

"Don't talk with your mouth full, Natsu." Erza groaned.

He walked over to the bed and sat himself down with invitation. Selene and Lucy both looked at him, although Selene stared with admiration and Lucy with slight annoyance. He managed to stuff the whole sandwich in his mouth and swallowed. "Yeah, yeah. Don't be a stick in the mud, Erza." He grinned down at Selene. "You hungry, kiddo?"

"Y-yes!" Selene nodded, Lucy wasn't sure if the girl really was hungry or just saying so because she was eating a sandwich that Natsu made. There was something about the little girl that reminded her of herself, perhaps her adoration for Natsu was one of those things. Of course, Lucy's was a lot less obvious she hoped. "Thank you!" The girl gratefully took one of the sandwiches from Natsu, taking a small bite from it.

"That brings up another topic, where will Selene be staying? Was anyone in the village willing to take her in?" Erza looked to Gray.

He sighed, rubbing his temples. "No. They're all too absorbed in their own lives, even the ones who didn't have a home destroyed. Part of me doesn't find it too strange that Theia held a grudge of sorts against those people." He noticed Selene looking at him, then cleared his throat. "But they're not all so bad. Still, the ones who would be willing already had their hands full taking in homeless families thanks to Theia's damage."

"She could stay with Carla and I tonight since you had her last night, Gray." Wendy offered.

"I don't really care. The kid is pretty easy to live with." Selene smiled at that. "'Sides, she's kinda like a little Lucy."

"What?" Lucy blinked. Hadn't she just been thinking about how similar the girl was to her?

Gray shrugged. "I mean, who else did we know who was so eager to join Fairy Tail? Not to mention her personality is pretty similar."

Wendy giggled. "Was Lucy really that excited about joining Fairy Tail?"

The blonde blushed. "I-I mean…"

"You should have seen Lucy's face when she came up to me showing off her guild mark." Natsu piped up. "Biggest grin ever."

She couldn't believe that he remembered that. Her face went bright red. Selene looked up at her. "Is it true? Miss Lucy?"

She looked down at the little girl and smiled, "Yes, it was my dream to be a Fairy Tail wizard." She looked up at Natsu, "And it's thanks to that idiot I am."

"Wouldn't have it any other way, Luce!" He grinned.

* * *

**A/N: You guys and your kind reviews. Really, y'all are so understanding. I've got the best readers in the world. As a reward you get the good end—well technically it was going to end up this way anyways—even though the end end isn't for another 2 chapters. It's just that I'm writing an alternate ending as well, the bad ending. (what is this an RPG?) Also I'm purposefully taunting my best friend Kayla by not letting them kiss this chapter. That's all she really wants is for them to kiss and live happily ever after. But I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and I hope you liked my portrayal of Layla. As always, please leave a review telling me what you think! The end to this fic is drawing near, but there will be plenty more NaLu to follow!**

**EDIT: Thank you to Cassi0chan for pointing out the duplicate paragraphs! It's all fixed now!**


	10. Where I Belong

_Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail_

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_X - Where I Belong_

* * *

"Lu!" Levy stood up abruptly from where she sat, startling her teammates who had fallen backwards when she knocked over the bench in her haste. Gajeel, who'd been standing nearby, smirked a little at the scene. Lucy waved sheepishly at her best friend, but she wasn't embarrassed because of Levy. It was because of the fact everyone in the guild had turned to look at her. She could even see Mirajane on the verge of tears behind the bar.

"H-hey everyone, I'm back."

It wasn't long before she was crowded by wizards, asking if she was okay, how her wound was faring, if she needed help with anything. Even after Juvia's usual "love rival" claim she expressed concern over Lucy's side, they were still friends after all.

"Really guys I'm fine- You don't have to-"

"Oi! Back off before I roast your asses!"

She sighed, not sure if it was out of relief or annoyance. Maybe both. Natsu had just come in through the entrance, arms crossed when he saw the scene before him. It didn't take long for the crowd to clear of everyone but Levy, the blue haired girl wasn't really worried about Natsu setting her butt on fire.

"I'm so glad you're alright! D-does it still hurt?" Levy looked up at her blonde friend with concern. Lucy smiled.

"Only sometimes, really it's mostly all better. I spent so much time in bed it's had more than enough time to heal itself. Unfortunately my landlady was only sympathetic to my rent for so long." She sighed, "But really it's all fine now. All that's left is a scar."

Natsu tensed a little at the mention of a scar and Levy noticed this. "Is… Natsu alright..?"

"I well- you see- um-"

Levy pulled her closer, whispering to Lucy. "I heard about the confession." She paused, glancing around the guild, "Actually… everyone knows about it."

"O-oh…" Lucy glanced at Natsu then back at Levy, "Everyone..? Who-" She saw Happy waving a paw from where he sat atop one of the tables. Of course, who else would tell everyone about that? He'd already tease her constantly about liking him. She sighed.

"Hey, Luce I thought you were gonna pick out a job." Natsu's voice urged her to move on. She groaned.

"What's got you so antsy?" She looked back at him but he was looking away. What was up with him today? He was acting so funny.

"Nothing!" He threw up his hands. "I'll just go wait with Happy while you pick out a job." He stopped off, leaving Lucy to rub her temples.

"What was that all about..? I thought you guys got all of your issues sorted out after-"

"I promised him we could go on this job together. And, I guess he's just anxious since it's the first one since- Well since Wolfsbane." She sighed. "I probably shouldn't have mentioned my scar."

"Has he seen it?"

It took Lucy a minute to realize what Levy was implying, until she noticed how Levy grinned and raised her eyebrows suggestively. Lucy's face turned bright red. "No! No! _Levy!_ That's- No we haven't done that!" She gulped, looking away and sticking out her bottom lip, muttering quietly. "We haven't even kissed…"

"But it's been a month?" Levy looked a little crestfallen, like she'd been so hoping to hear her best friend had gotten some action in with her dragon slayer at least. Maybe it gave her hope for her own innocent crush.

"Well I have been recovering from a stab wound. Besides… We were only ever alone once the whole time." After she woke up there was never fewer that two or three guests in her apartment at once. Leaving no time for her discuss things with Natsu, or let alone kiss him.

"I suppose that would be a hinderance."

"Hey! Lucy come on! We don't have all day." Natsu urged impatiently. She rolled her eyes.

"Fine fine! At least help me pick out a job. I'm not the only one who's going to be doing it after all."

* * *

Lucy stared down at the flier in her hands. It was a request to help catch a cat burgler. It's like deja vu or something. Except the last time she went on a job like this it wasn't with Natsu. He'd insisted they leave immediately for the job, so now they were walking along the cobblestone road towards the train station. Much to his chagrin. But that wasn't the reason he was being so quiet right now. He'd been so tense since they got to the guild. No since she mentioned her scar. Happy flew a little ways ahead of them so she figured it was okay to bring it up.

"Listen, Natsu if I upset you when I-"

"What? Don't tell me you think I'm mad about the scar." He looked at her, she blinked, confused. "Well duh I'm mad about how it got there. But no use being pissed that your skin looks a little more awesome now." She was quiet, hoping what he just said would register with his own mind. It took him a moment but he coughed, "You know what I mean!"

She giggled, cheeks dusted pink. "Right of course. I guess it does look pretty neat, it's my own personal battle scar. Not that I don't already have those from other injuries…" She looked down at her hands which were not exactly the dainty things they had been when she lived as the Heartfilia Heiress. "I guess this one is just, it comes with stories."

"Right. Stories." He nodded, "So you're not gonna like, get some magic lotion to make the scar disappear? Do they make stuff like that?" He shrugged, "I've never had to use it." She looked over his exposed muscled arm and any other skin that was visible. It was obvious he didn't use anything to get rid of his scars. But those were one of the things that made him more attractive.

It took Happy trying to get their attention for her to realized they'd stopped walking, and that she had been staring at his muscles.

"You two love birds gonna hurry up? They'll sell out all of the tickets before we get there!" Happy chimed, making both of them blush. Lucy dug through her bag quickly, fishing out some money.

"H-here! Why don't you go on ahead and buy the tickets for us? That way Natsu has no excuses to walk to the job." She gave him a look and he rubbed the back of his head.

"Aye sir! Don't take too long!" Happy took the money and flew off, he'd get there faster than them anyways, considering he didn't have to navigate the streets and buildings as long as he was flying.

She'd tried to ignore the Exceed's cheeky little smirk as he flew off.

"Do we really have to take the train?" Natsu started to whine but she held up her hand.

"Oh no! No I will not tolerate this! I just recovered from a nearly fatal wound and you want me to trek miles all the way to another town then be expected to catch a cat burglar? Not to mention the last time you refused to ride a train led to my injury!" She couldn't stop until it was out, and she felt bad for it immediately. "Wait- I mean- Crap, Natsu I didn't mean that-"

"No, I get it. I really am mostly to blame for that aren't I?"

She was quiet. Had she actually heard him right? Was he really accepting the blame?

"I kinda was really dense and that lead to you getting pissed and…" He furrowed his brows, "Damn I guess I really screwed up?"

She smiled, "No, Natsu. You didn't do anything wrong, except… maybe leaving me behind with only Happy on a deserted road wasn't the best idea?" She shook her head, holding up her hands. "Wait no, that was my fault too. If I hadn't gotten so mad about you being so possessive- Geeze if I hadn't gotten upset with you period, when you technically hadn't done anything wrong. Not to mention I was the one who made that deal with Theia-"

"Lucy." He grabbed her arms, looking straight in her eyes. She realized her eyes had started to water from on coming tears. "Why don't we just agree we're both idiots?"

She blinked to clear her vision, nodding. "Yeah, okay… We're both idiots. That I can agree on." She laughed a bit. He grinned, flashing his sharp teeth.

Lucy took a deep breath and sighed. "We really do need to hurry up. It's not just the tickets we have to worry about but the train could leave too."

"Right…" He wasn't letting her go. He was staring down at her intently.

She cleared her throat. "Natsu."

"Right!" He released her arms, looking away and rubbing his neck.

"Come on let's go." She turned to start walking away.

"Luce hang on a sec!"

"Natsu we don't have all day we need to catch that train no-" He grabbed her forearm and spun her around, his lips hitting hers with such force it stunned her for a moment, her blush taking it's time surfacing. It felt… it felt exactly how she imagined it. No it was better. Her eyes drifted closed as she returned the kiss with affection. Eternity passed before they pulled apart, or maybe it was only five seconds. Time was an illusion and it didn't matter.

"That was-"

"-definitely not the last time I'm gonna kiss you." The smirk in his voice was so apparent that it made her blush more than the kiss itself had. She punched his arm, it probably hadn't really hurt him but he feigned injury anyways. "Ow! What was that for!?"

"I don't know!" She started to move away from him but he carefully wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her into a gentle kiss. It was something that melted her entire being. God how was she going to stay mad at him when he knew he could just kiss her? She'd figure out a way. She slowly pulled away, glaring at him softly. "…Jerk."

"You love me anyways." He said it with such a dorky grin, a cocky smile that only Natsu could make look handsome.

She smiled, her eyes softening. "I do love you, Natsu Dragneel."

He gulped, looking away. "Yeah well- dammit." He sighed, "I love you too."

"I know."

"No, wait, listen." He looked down at her, gripping her around her waist tightly. "Lucy… I… I really do love you okay? I want to protect you and I don't want you to ever get hurt again. I want you to stay by my side. I can honestly say I don't know how I functioned before I met you because you can ask everyone else in the guild, when you were gone, I was… I lost it. I really lost it without you. And if you had died back then I don't think I'd ever be the same." He grit his teeth, obviously trying to hold back tears or something. "You're everything to me. It's so weird to think that. I don't even understand what I'm saying." He relaxed a little bit but he didn't let her go.

"I understand." She closed her eyes, "But… But I don't always want to be the one you're protecting. Let me take care of you too, idiot! I don't want to be useless. I want to be worth something to you, to the team, to Fairy Tail-"

"You're not useless, Lucy. Not to me or anyone!" He cupped her cheek, giving her the biggest grin in the world.

She blushed, her hands grasping at his scarf. Earthland to Lucy! You have places to be! Stop staring into his eyes you'll have plenty more time in your life to fawn over this stupid boy! "G-good! Now that we've gotten that out of the way, we have a train to catch!" She pushed away from him, flustered, but taking his hand to start dragging him towards the station. He groaned loudly.

"But- but- that kiss was supposed to get you to change your mind about the train!" He whined, reluctantly trailing after her. And by trailing, he was really just dragging his feet.

"Too bad! I'm not walking all the way there, besides Happy is waiting for us at the station!"

"I'm gonna be sick already…" He groaned, covering his mouth. She let go of his hand.

"DON'T THROW UP ON ME!"

Despite everything. Despite how much this dragon slayer got on her nerves. There was no doubt in her mind that her place in the universe was by his side. That Natsu's hand was where her hand belonged. After all they had fit together so perfectly just now.

* * *

**A/N: What's this? An early update? Yes my dear readers the update was on Thursday this week. Why do you ask? Well because I finished the chapter 2:30AM Sunday morning, and because I won't be home to post the chapter on the normal update day. Also you guys deserved to have some kisses one day early, after I was late updating two weeks ago. Forgive me for the chapter being short, but I wouldn't let it be any shorter than my 2,000 word minimum. Besides all that really mattered was the kisses right? Right? Right. Well, there is only one more chapter after this, then I suppose if you plan on reading the alternate ending you could count that as two chapters, but if you don't want to read it I understand completely. Tbh if I was the fan I probably wouldn't read it, it's depressing.**


	11. I Won't Forget the Moment

**A/N: Well this is it guys, the last chapter. It's been a wild ride but this is where we get off. I'll save sentiments until the end, so here it is, the final moment you've been waiting for...**

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_Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail_

* * *

_XI - I Won't Forget the Moment_

* * *

Natsu dashed through the trees, he wasn't running at full speed but he was running pretty fast. He sniffed the air, looking for his target. He skidded to a stop in the middle of the woods. He could smell the scent of summer even though it was the middle of spring. It distracted him from his real goal, his mind suddenly fixed on the thought of finding where that summery smell drifted from. It didn't take him long, he just had to run to the edge of the trees, finding a familiar grassy clearing. He would come here often to take a nap and get away from his responsibilities. He marched out into the grass, he'd come to learn the reason it didn't grow as tall as the trees was because there were farmers who let their cows graze here from time to time. He'd learned this when one of the cows tried to eat his hair. How it confused pink and green he didn't know. Who cared about cows anyways, he was looking for someone.

And there she was.

A soft breeze blew through the blonde's long hair as she sat in that grassy field. It was much longer than it had been back then, but it was still the same golden sun that he loved. The magnificent warming glow in his life. Her eyes were closed and he thought she might have fallen asleep sitting up, but then she opened them and smiled up at the boy- no he was a man now. Although she would still call him an immature boy from time to time. He'd never admit it but she was probably right.

"What is it, Natsu?" She tilted her head.

"Admiring the view." He smirked and she rolled her eyes. Some things never change. He came and sat down cross-legged by her left side. "Aw c'mon that was a good one! Right?"

"It was cheesy." She laughed, "But that's why I liked it." She leaned against his arm. "Aren't you supposed to be somewhere?"

"Uh…" He scratched the back of his head. "Maybe?"

"I suppose you haven't changed at all." She giggled, looking over at him.

"You act like we haven't been married for... uh..." He looked at his fingers, trying to count off the years. "Two… three…"

"Six years. Six years, Natsu. You can't even remember that long?" She sighed. "Honestly…"

"Hey I'm not that bad! Sometimes I just confuse how long we've been married for long we've known each other, okay?" He pouted. She smiled and nudged his side.

"That's a huge difference though. We've known each other more than twice as long as we've been married. I mean if you count that seven years that we were on Tenroujima. Let's see… Sixteen years maybe?"

"See even you can't remember!" He shouted and she held up her hands.

"Alright! But to be fair there were a lot of weird moments where time passed strangely. Also I don't know if I should count that year you abandoned the guild." She huffed. He knew no matter how many times he apologized for that she'd never fully forgive him. She had no right to, he up and left the guild. He left her. He didn't know why he thought that had been a good idea. He'd abandoned the love of his life for a whole year to take care of herself. He was pretty sure she'd hate him forever but Lucy couldn't stay mad at him forever. Much to her obvious chagrin.

"I'm sorry okay! I was an idiot!"

"Was?"

"Do we have to start this now?" He groaned. He wasn't up for arguing his lack of intelligence with his genius wife. He wasn't that stupid either, she just liked to make him feel that way. Yeah, that was definitely it.

Lucy sighed, resting her hand on top of his, rings glittering on her finger. "Sorry."

He grumbled to himself as she intertwined her fingers with his, closing her eyes and laying her head on his shoulder. Natsu relaxed a little bit, closing his eyes too. "I love you no matter what. I don't care about the things from our past."

"Not even that time in Wolfsbane?"

"That's different, dummy. I don't care about the bad things." She squeezed his hand.

Natsu shifted uncomfortably. "You almost dying was pretty bad."

"I never would have died. Wendy saved my life. And… I honestly don't think I would have chosen to die."

"What?" Natsu sat up and looked at her.

"Nothing. It's just…" She sighed, looking at the sky. "I don't know what was going through my head at that time. I wasn't really acting like myself, I was being stupid. I guess I was just so tired of…"

"Hey that's over now! Why do you count that add a good time if you think of all of that?"

"Because that's the day you told me you loved me." His heart skipped a beat. Even after how many years- god he wasn't even gonna try and figure out the years, he still got jittery and warm when she brought up stuff like that. His face heated up a bit and he looked away, clearing his throat.

"Yeah well…" He mumbled something and then there was silence between them again.

Lucy took a deep breath. "Natsu, there is something you need to kn-"

"Daddy!" They were being charged by a petite child "You were supposed to find me!"

"I was?" Lucy elbowed him in the side. "Oof! I mean, of course I was! Haha! Guess I found your mommy first though. So it's her fault for distracting me!"

The little girl pouted. Her long messy pink hair was filled with leaves and dirt and her soft skin was marked with the battle scars of tree climbing. "Mommy… Daddy was playing hide and seek with me, not you!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Lucy held up her hands in defeat. Natsu grinned proudly, his daughter was just as fiery as he was. "How can I make it up to you?"

The girl's brown eyes lit up as an idea came to her. "Daddy and I hide and you find us!"

Lucy smiled, "Alright."

"And you gotta count to one hundred!"

The blonde laughed, "One hundred it is."

The girl flashed a toothy grin. She was a beautiful mixture of the two of them, with his hair and her eyes. His face but her teeth. His fierce personality but her understanding temperament. Even her name was a mixture of them.

"C'mon Luna! I know the perfect place your mommy can't find us!" Natsu hopped up from where he sat next to Lucy, scooping up the girl up into his arms. She giggled loudly.

"Put me on your shoulders, daddy!"

"Luna say ple-" Lucy sighed as Natsu lifted the girl up to sit on his shoulders, then began to dash away.

"Remember to count to one hundred, mommy!" The girl giggled, holding on tightly to her father.

Lucy grinned and closed her eyes. "One… Two… Three… Four…"

Natsu paused to look back at his wife. The sun shining down on her like a spotlight. He'd never met her mother, but he was sure in that moment Lucy looked just like her. Strong and beautiful. And alive.

His heart clenched at the memory of her nearly dying in his arms.

"Daddy hurry! She's almost to twenty!"

"H-huh? Oh right!" He smirked, turning and heading for the tree line. He didn't have to worry, she was alive and well and they'd live to be old and wrinkly like Gramps.

"Where are we gonna go daddy?" Luna tilted her head down, trying to see her father's face.

"Maybe we should go bug your Uncle Metal Face and Aunty Levy!" He bounced the four year old on his shoulders, she laughed and held onto his hair like reigns. He winced, fortunately Asuka had prepared him for this. It was a little different when it was his own daughter too, because all she had to do was bat her eyelashes with her big brown eyes and he'd bend to her every will. Fortunately Lucy had more control than he did. If it were up to him he'd give Luna the world. She'd probably take it for herself before he could though.

"I'm hungry. Let's ask Mira-nee if she can give us something to eat!" Four year old attention span. Natsu understood why people got so exasperated with him.

"Let's go home and wait for mommy to find us, that way she can cook us dinner." He suggested.

Luna gasped. "Will she make chicken wings!?"

His stomach growled. "I hope so!"

"Yay! Mommy is gonna make chicken wings!" She clapped her hands.

Natsu sighed, this was it. This was his payback for his youth. God why did he suddenly feel so old? He shook his head. No, he was still young and strong! He wasn't about to let his four year old make him feel like old Gramps.

He heard someone yawn and he realized it was Luna, as she started to lean into his head. She'd missed her nap time today so of course she'd be getting tired. "I love you, daddy." Natsu grinned, her little voice warming his heart.

"Love you too, kiddo." He lifted her off his shoulders and held her against his front. Her head rested against his shoulder and she yawned again, eyes barely open. "Ya tired?"

"No… I have to stay awake for mommy to make chicken wings…" She mumbled.

He laughed, "Don't worry, she'll make 'em if you're awake or asleep."

"But if I fall asleep daddy will eat them all…" She pouted.

"Hey! No I won't!" He pouted too, then cleared his throat. "I mean, I promise to save some for you too, Luna."

She giggled softly, "Mkay, daddy…" She mumbled something else too, but her voice was so soft he didn't hear it. She'd already fallen asleep, breathing quietly to the rhythm of his own breathing. He remembered when she was born how badly he'd wanted a boy, but then he got Luna. There was a split second of disappointment but it all faded away when he saw her in Lucy's arms. He swore that was the only time he'd ever seen the blonde smile quite like that, it was a mix of pride and love and joy and so many other things. He'd stared wide eyed at her when she asked if he wanted to hold baby Luna. He must've said yes or nodded his head because before he knew it there was a baby in his arms. She was so small and fragile. He was worried he'd break her. He felt the same urge to protect this little baby that he felt for Lucy. He didn't realize it then but Luna already had him wrapped around her itty bitty finger. When Lucy told the story of Luna's birth, she told people that Natsu cried when he held her. He couldn't say it was a lie.

It was starting to get late, Lucy was probably already looking for them. He was confident she'd know where to find them though, as he saw the glow of their windows in the distance. Happy was probably already there. The blue Exceed had been out trying to court Carla again, which was why he wasn't with the rest of the Dragneels, but he was always home by this time.

Natsu grinned, rubbing Luna's back soothingly. "Come on, your mommy should be home soon."

* * *

The leaves rustled in the constant breeze. There was already a chill in the air as it was starting to get later. "Ninety-eight… Ninety-nine." Lucy sighed, opening her eyes. She probably could have quit counting as soon as they had got to the trees, but she couldn't do something like that to little Luna. "…One hundred."

They had disappeared a long time ago obviously, but she knew there was only one place they could have gone. Back home. Natsu's stomach probably took him there, actually Luna's too. Speaking of which, she placed her hand on her own belly, looking down.

"Guess he'll have to wait to find out about you later, huh?" She smiled, Natsu was going to be so excited. Luna too. Right now the only people who knew was Wendy and Selene. The girl from Wolfsbane had taken up healing magic after she'd witnessed what Wendy could do. After spending a couple years in an orphanage she came back to Fairy Tail to be Wendy's apprentice of sorts. Although she couldn't quite learn Wendy's sky dragon magic so she went to Porlyusica for guidance. What happened after that Lucy only knew that she'd left Porlyusica considering the older woman still wasn't fond of humans, but the girl came back a year ago a full fledged wizard, her speciality being healing magic. What ever she'd done in between those years turned her into somewhat of a prodigy.

The blonde smiled fondly as she thought about how everyone in the guild had changed, especially Natsu. Except, he also hadn't changed at all. He was still hot headed and thick skulled and a huge baby whenever he didn't get his way. But he had become an amazing father and was surprisingly mature when he had to be. Perhaps he'd always been that way though. Slowly Lucy pushed herself to her feet, starting the trek back home to the two people she loved most in the world. "Ready or not, here I come!"

_THE END_

* * *

**A/N: I can't tell you all how grateful I am that you've read my story and you've left such wonderful reviews. I'm thankful for the help I've had from my two best friends, who've placed their seal of approval on each chapter before I uploaded them to this site. I'm so extremely happy that I actually finished a fan fiction for the first time in such a very long time. I'm also really proud of how this turned out, I know I could still use some work with my skills but looking back on my old stories and then seeing this one... I'm just amazed at my improvement.**

**I had fun creating Theia and Selene. If you didn't already know or look it up, Theia was the Greek Titaness and Goddess of sight (do you _see_ what I did there..?) and Selene was the Greek goddess of the moon, also the Titaness' Theia's daughter. Also, I have no idea if Possession magic is or ever will be a real Fairy Tail magic, I made it up completely on my own. In fact I hadn't even thought up an idea for the villain in the story until I created Theia's magic. Originally she was just an innocent blind girl from the village, and I was just going to make an entirely different character for the villain. But after I'd thought up her magic writing her back story and making her the villain was as easy as spreading butter on toast. ****In fact while I'd had some details planned out about the story, I was still missing a lot of ideas by the time I got to chapter 3. It was after writing chapter 4 and Theia's introduction that everything finally fell into place.**

**Wow this has gotten kinda long so I suppose I'll start wrapping it up. I really can't thank you all enough for your reviews. I had said a few chapters back that if you didn't like the story I wouldn't write it. One of my beautiful readers, Akrim, told me, ****"You should write your story regardless of people liking it or not. It is your story after all. You should write it for yourself first and foremost." And they are absolutely right, and I did start writing the story for myself. It's just that without knowing there were people waiting for more updates, I might have let it slide and fall into hiatus like the rest of my stories. So really, from the bottom of my heart, thank you. Thank you for your support and kind words every update. Thank you for falling in love with my story. Thank you for being the motivation I needed to be able to finish each chapter in time for Friday (almost) every week. **

**Thank you for reading! I look forward to sharing more stories with you!**


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